Savage Spring

by Constance O'Banyon

  “Damn it, I don’t care how important the news is you have to deliver to me! I will not pay you one cent more than what we agreed on in the first place!”

  “I have news that will concern you and Mrs. Landon, all right. You will want to hear what I have to say, but you will pay my asking price,” the other man said.

  “Like hell I will! You were paid to kill Taggart James and his sister. Since you apparently haven’t done so, I won’t pay you anything.”

  “I think you will, because I can tell you where Taggart James is at this very moment.”

  There was a long silence, and Alexandria shifted her weight, listening intently.

  “All right, if the information is worth hearing, I will double the price. Where is Taggart James?”

  Loud laughter drifted back to Alexandria. “Well, sir, it would seem that he’s here in Philadelphia. I talked to a trader at Fort Union, and he said that Mr. James and some old trapper known only as Farley passed that way no more than a few months ago, and they was heading here to Philadelphia.”

  Alexandria opened her mouth in shocked surprise. In that moment, she realized that the man she knew as Falcon Knight was in truth Taggart James! He had to be—there couldn’t possibly be another old man named Farley. Nothing made any sense to her. She couldn’t understand anything about what was going on, but one thing was clear: Falcon…Taggart James…was in trouble. She strained her ears so she could hear what else they had to say.

  “Where can I find Taggart James?” the lawyer, Mr. Garner, asked.

  “Now, that I don’t know. All I know is what I told you.”

  “What about Joanna James?”

  “Well, that’s the fly in the ointment. That woman is heavily guarded, and she never rides out alone. It would take an army to get to her. I wasn’t about to risk my life trying. You didn’t tell me she was the wife of Windhawk. Nobody in their right mind would try to harm Windhawk’s wife!”

  Alexandria heard the clinking of coins and knew the man was being paid for his information. Shortly thereafter the light went out, and she heard the grating of the key in the lock. She waited for several moments before she stood up and walked silently to the outer room. The moonlight was streaming through the front windows, and she scanned the room, looking for the place where Mr. Garner would keep his important papers. She now knew what Falcon wanted, and she was determined to find it for him.

  Knowing the danger to herself should the two men return, Alexandria took her courage in hand and lit the lamp. She knew full well that Falcon would be waiting for her to let him in the back door, but she decided it would be far better if she were to find what he wanted on her own. That way, if the men did return, only she would be in danger.

  Seeing a box of loose files stacked against the wall, she disregarded them, knowing Mr. Garner wouldn’t keep Taggart James’s files there—no, they would be locked up somewhere. Placing the lamp on the floor, she tested the desk drawers until she found one of them locked. Grabbing up a letter opener she found on the desk, she fumbled and pried until the lock broke! She thumbed quickly through the documents until she found several with the name Taggart James written across them.

  Alexandria quickly blew out the lamp and stuffed the documents down the front of her trousers. She then raced toward the storage room. Pushing a box over to the window, she scrambled on top of it and hoisted herself up to the window. Her heart was drumming as she climbed out the window and dropped to the ground.

  Immediately, Falcon swung her around to face him. “You little fool, if you ever do anything like this again I will throttle you!” he said, trying to cover up how worried he’d been about Alex’s safety.

  In the bright moonlight she could see the anger etched on his face. “By your rash action tonight you have cost me the chance to get my hands on some very important documents. Once they discover the place has been broken into, we won’t have a chance to go in again.”

  “Shouldn’t we be away in case they come back?” she asked, knowing she had what he wanted.

  His face held a grim expression as he turned and stalked away, heading for the horses. As they rode back toward the house, Alexandria tried to figure out what was happening. Why would Mr. Garner hire men to kill Taggart James who was really…Falcon Knight? Joanna must be Tag’s sister, but who was Windhawk? She was beginning to realize that her life and Falcon’s were a tangled web of deceit. If it wasn’t so serious, Alexandria would think it was amusing that neither of them was who he claimed to be!

  Alexandria glanced sideways at Falcon, and though his face was half in shadows, she could tell he was still angry with her. Her hand went down to the documents she had tucked into her trousers. He would forget all about his anger once she showed him the papers.

  When they reached home, Farley led the horses to the stable while Falcon took Alexandria by the arm and led her toward the house, forcing her to run to keep up with his powerful strides. When they were inside the house, he led her into the study and pushed her down into a chair without looking at her.

  Alexandria watched as he paced back and forth, and she smiled to herself. “You’re angry with me, huh?”

  He stopped before her, and she saw the anger drain out of his face. “Damn it, Alex! You could have been…didn’t you realize the danger you were placing yourself in? Mr. Garner is a dangerous man! He wouldn’t have hesitated to kill you if he had found you in his office tonight. I hope you have learned your lesson.”

  “You were worried about me?” she inquired, feeling warm all over.

  “Hell, yes, I was worried! You always seem to be getting yourself in trouble. Tonight I thought I was going to have to go in shooting to get you out. One day you are going to get yourself into trouble and I won’t be there to save you. What will you do then?”

  “It was your idea that I climb through the window, Falcon…not mine,” she reminded him.

  Alexandria watched as he doubled up his fists and raised his head to look at the ceiling. “I don’t know where to turn. I guess I thought it would be so easy, but…oh well, I’ll just have to try another tactic.”

  “Were the documents you wanted so important?”

  His blue eyes rested on her face. “You can’t imagine,” he whispered. “I doubt that they would have been kept in Mr. Garner’s office anyway. Most probably, Claudia has them with her.”

  Alexandria reached into the front of her trousers and withdrew the papers, holding them out to him. “Could this be what you wanted?”

  He looked at her with with a puzzled expression. Alexandria watched as he read the name scribbled on the front, and his eyes widened in shocked surprise. He flipped through the documents, and she watched a smile spread over his face. When she caught his eye, she noticed the tension appear to drain from his face, and relief seemed to be reflected in the blue depths of his eyes.

  “Alex, how did you know this was what I wanted? How did you get them?” He sat down in a chair and stared at the papers in amazement.

  Alexandria moved over to him and dropped down on her knees before him. “I wasn’t sure until tonight when I overheard Mr. Garner talking to a man in the outer office. I know you are Taggart James.”

  He watched her closely. “What makes you draw that conclusion, Alex?”

  “Mr. Garner was talking to a man about you. Apparently, he and Claudia Landon had sent the man to kill you and someone called Joanna. The man told him that he couldn’t get close enough to Joanna to kill her and that she was married to someone named Windhawk whom the man seemed to fear.”

  “I see nothing in that that would make you believe I am this Taggart James, Alex,” he said, still watching her face closely.

  “The man told Mr. Garner that he learned at Fort Union that you had come to Philadelphia with an old trapper by the name of Farley…you see, the rest was easy. I then realized that the documents you were after would be about Taggart James. I found them in a locked drawer of the desk.”

  Tag ruffled her mink-colored hair and
laughed deeply. “You are a scamp and have caused me nothing but trouble—still, I thank my lucky stars for the night you came into my life, Alex.”

  She basked in his praise, wishing she dared throw herself into his arms and tell him she wasn’t really the boy he thought her to be. She wanted to tell him that she was the girl who had lain in his arms, giving him all she had to give.

  “I must caution you, Alex, not to tell anyone what you have learned tonight. I’m sure you gathered from the conversation you overheard that Mr. Garner and Claudia wouldn’t hesitate to hire other men to come after me. We must be very careful.”

  “I don’t understand any of this, Falcon. Why do they want you dead? What kind of threat do you represent to them?”

  Tag hesitated for a moment, wondering how much he should tell Alex. The boy had proven his worth to him many times over and he trusted him completely, but wouldn’t it be best to keep him in ignorance? What if Claudia and Mr. Garner tried to get to him through the boy?

  “All I can tell you, Alex, is that Claudia is married to my Uncle Howard, who has stolen all that my father left to me and my sister, Joanna. I have come to Philadelphia to take our inheritance back.”

  “Who is the woman you said you loved…where does she fit in all this?” Alexandria asked.

  Tag’s eyes narrowed, and he searched Alex’s face carefully. “How could you know about the woman I loved? I told no one but Xandria…”

  “She…Xandria told me,” she said hurriedly, realizing the mistake she had made and trying to cover it up.

  “I wasn’t aware that Xandria discussed our private conversations with anyone else. I wasn’t even sure she could talk.”

  “I…she doesn’t usually discuss private matters with anyone, but…”

  Tag took Alex’s chin between his hands and turned her face up to him, studying her closely. “What else did Xandria tell you, Alex?”

  “N…nothing, she told me nothing else.”

  “Who is Xandria, and what is she to you?” he asked, still staring into her eyes.

  “I…she is my…sister.” The lie came hard to Alexandria’s tongue, and she wished she could look away from Falcon’s deep, piercing gaze.

  “I see,” he said, taken aback by Alex’s revelation. “That could explain many things I haven’t understood. What are you and your sister running from, Alex?”

  She lowered her head. “I cannot speak of it.”

  “Don’t you know I will help you in any way I can? What can be so horrible that you can’t speak of it to me?”

  “I…Xandria killed a man,” she said, tears streaming down her face. “If she is discovered, she will be hanged for murder!” she cried between sobs.

  Tag raised her head once more and wiped the tears away with a handkerchief. “Tell me everything, Alex. I know that if Xandria killed anyone it had to be for a good reason.”

  “I cannot tell you. Don’t ask it of me!”

  “Damn it, Alex, don’t you know I’ll stand behind you and your sister in whatever comes your way. Tell me,” he encouraged, brushing a mass of curls off her forehead and smiling down at her.

  “I…Xandria and I have lived with my stepmother and stepbrother since my father died. My mother’s father had left Meadowlake Farm to me…and Xandria. My stepmother knew the only way she could get her hands on the farm was to force…Xandria to marry my stepbrother, Rodney. She brought me…us to Philadelphia, where she held us prisoner in her sister’s house. She found a preacher who was willing to marry Xandria to Rodney against her will.” A sob tore from her throat as she remembered that awful night when Rodney had come to her bedroom, trying to force his attentions on her. “My stepbrother tried to force Xandria to…he was going to…”

  “I think I know what you’re trying to say…go on, Alex,” Tag urged.

  “Xandria tried to get away from Rodney and picked up a lamp, and threw it at him.” Alexandria placed her trembling hands over her eyes, trying to block out the memory of that awful sight when her stepbrother had been engulfed in flames. “It was awful—Rodney was on fire! She didn’t mean to harm him, honestly she didn’t.” She took a big gulp of air and dried her eyes on the handkerchief Tag handed her.

  “My stepmother locked me…and Xandria in the basement. She was going to have me…and her declared insane and have us locked away forever.”

  Tag pulled the boy to him, trying to bring him comfort. “What happened then, Alex?”

  “I…we escaped, and you know the rest.”

  Tag raised her face up and studied her closely. “Yes, I believe I do. Have you seen your stepmother or stepbrother since that night?”

  “N…no.”

  “Then you don’t know if your stepbrother is really dead?”

  “I don’t think anyone could be so severely burned and live. He must be dead! It was so awful! I didn’t mean to do it, but I had to get away from him!”

  Tag’s eyes widened in shock. Alex was so upset he hadn’t even realized what he had just said. Tag lifted the boy’s face up to him and studied it with a different aspect. Yes, the features were delicate…too pretty to be a boy’s; beautiful really…even with her hair chopped off. He wondered how he could have been such a fool. He had been so caught up in his own problems that he hadn’t noticed what was before his very eyes. Alex was Xandria! Most probably her name was Alexandria!

  Suddenly, he was horrified that he might have taken a young girl to his bed and stolen her innocence! He couldn’t allow Alex to know he realized who she was—not yet. “I’m going to ask you a question, Alex, and I want you to answer it honestly. How old are you?” He dreaded to hear the answer, fearing she would prove to be a child.

  Alexandria raised her face to him. “I haven’t been truthful with you. I’m eighteen.”

  Tag took a deep breath and let it out slowly as relief washed over him. “I think you have had a hard day, Alex. Why don’t you run upstairs and climb into bed. We will talk more later about how to help you…and your sister.”

  She stood up reluctantly. “You aren’t mad at me, are you?”

  In that moment, Tag wanted to take her in his arms and hold her so he could assure her that everything would be all right. “No, Alex, I’m not angry with you. Go to bed now.”

  He listened to the soft pad of her footsteps as she left the room. This evening had been a revelation to him. His feelings for the boy Alex had become entangled with his feelings for Xandria. What were his true feelings for her?

  Trying to dismiss her from his mind, he picked up the documents with his name scribbled across the front and tried to read them, but his eyes became blurred with tears. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes. He thought of Morning Song and the life he had once shared with her. They had been like two carefree children playing at life. There had been no major problems confronting them. He thought of Alex, and how she had touched his life. His feelings for her were altogether different from what he had felt for Morning Song. Morning Song had been sweet and gentle, while Alex was wild and unpredictable. He remembered making love to her and admitted that she had made him feel things that he had never felt with Morning Song. Was it love he felt for Alex? If it was, then what had he felt for Morning Song?

  He heard shuffling footsteps enter the room and knew Farley had just come in. Opening his eyes, he watched the old man take a chair, propping his feet up on a footrest.

  “All hell’s broken loose, Farley. No one is who they are supposed to be.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” the old trapper asked, eyeing him warily.

  “I mean no one with the exception of yourself is who they say they are.”

  Farley grinned broadly. “I ’spect you found out ’bout young Alex. I wondered how long it would take you to know that he was a she,” he chuckled, showing a fair amount of white teeth.

  Tag sat up and studied Farley’s face. “You mean she told you and didn’t tell me?”

  Again Farley chuckled. “She didn’t have to tell me. I knowed it al
most from the first. I can’t see how you missed it, though. You must be slipping when a beautiful young gal can convince you she’s a boy.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Tag asked sourly, thinking he really was a fool.

  Farley scratched his head. “Well, I didn’t see as how she was doing any harm, and I figured she was in some kind of trouble. ’Sides, with her running off to your room most ever night, I figured you knowed she was a woman, leastwise, I hoped you did.”

  Tag’s eyed gleamed brightly, and the look he gave Farley warned the old man that he had better watch what he said. “I don’t want you to think badly of Alex, Farley. When she first came to me, she had never been with a man before,” Tag said, feeling he needed to defend Alexandria.

  “I knowed she were innocent—anyone could tell that just by looking at her.”

  Tag shook his head in bewilderment. “I have just been sitting here reflecting on my life…past and present. I know I should do the right things and marry Alex.”

  “Is that what you wanna do?”

  “Hell, how do I know? Morning Song hasn’t been dead that long, and I feel as if I am betraying her in some way.”

  “Now, how could you feel like that ’less you feel guilty for loving Alex? If your heart weren’t in it you wouldn’t give it another thought.”

  Tag stood up and walked over to the window, throwing the curtains aside. “Would you think me disloyal to Morning Song if I told you what I felt for her wasn’t as deep or as meaningful as what I feel for Alex, Farley?”

  “Come on back over here and sit, Tag. I’m ’bout to talk to you like I would ifen I was your real grandpa.”

  Tag walked back to the chair he had been sitting in and waited for Farley to speak.

  “I watched you and Morning Song together, and I always thought the two of you acted like young children. I always felt this thing tugging at you, and while you will think it was you wanting to face your uncle, I always knowed that a big part of it was that you weren’t completely happy.” Farley sat forward and lowered his voice. “You see, Tag, you had outgrown Morning Song. I always knowed you loved her like a good friend more than anything else. Joanna thought the same thing, too, but she never said as much to you.”