“Win,” she screamed, dropping to the ground by his side. “Oh, God. David, he’s unconscious.”
David knelt and leaned down to listen at Win’s chest. “He’s alive, Kat.” He ran his hand over his head and grimaced when his fingers came back bloody. “There’s a rock back here, and he hit his head pretty hard. There’s a lot of blood.”
“What should we do?” She picked up Win’s hand and rubbed his fingers back and forth.
“We need to get him back to the cabin so I can get a better look at his injury. Can you stay here with him while I go for the wagon? It’ll take me about a half hour to get there and get back.”
“Can you even get the wagon up in here?”
“No, but I can get it up past the cemetery. We won’t have to carry him so far if I can get it that close.”
She bit her lip and stared down at Win’s pale face. “Okay, I’ll stay here with him, but you have to hurry.”
David picked up her hand and pressed a kiss against her lips. “Don’t worry, honey. I’m gonna go as fast as I can. Win’s tough, and he’ll be all right. He just knocked the wind out of himself.” He touched his head again. “See? He’s already stopped bleeding. We just have to clean him up and bandage him. We’ve got clean water back at the cabin, and we’ll be able to take care of him there.”
She nodded. “Then go. The faster you go the faster you’ll be back.”
“Right.” David got to his feet and hurried off.
She watched until he disappeared into the trees and then moved closer and cradled Win’s head in her lap. Her fingers traced lines across his forehead. “You have to be okay. I can’t lose you now.”
It continued to get darker until the trees were barely visible. Huge, dark clouds eliminated the moonlight, and Kat began to feel as if dozens of eyes were staring at her from the darkness. She could hear the trickling, gurgling sounds of the water flowing over the rocks in the nearby stream. The rustling of the leaves sounded like there were small animals in the brush. A wolf’s cry in the distance had her scooting closer to Win’s warm body. A sudden gust of wind peppered her face with small bits of dirt and twigs. She batted her hand at the onslaught and cried out. Heart slamming against her ribs, she gulped at the air, trying to slow her breathing enough to hear. Sunset had finally drained out of the sky, sheathing the woods in shadows.
Win moved restlessly on her lap. “Kat,” he mumbled. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, Win, are you okay?” She let her hand trace the contours of his face.
He raised his hand and grabbed her wrist. “What happened? Why am I on the ground?”
She explained about his accident. “I’m so sorry. It was all my fault,” she wailed.
He reached up and cupped her cheek. “Nonsense. It wasn’t your fault, merely an accident. Where’s David?”
“He went for the wagon so we could get you back.”
“Help me stand up and we can start back and maybe meet him on the trail.”
“Are you sure? You’re hurt pretty bad.”
“How long have I been out?”
She glanced around and frowned. “I don’t know, maybe fifteen or twenty minutes at the most.”
“Then I’ll be fine. Just help me to get up, please, Kat.”
Against her better judgment, she moved back and got to her feet. She reached down and took Win’s arm, helping him to stand. Immediately he began to sway back and forth. “Win, hold on to me, please.”
He grabbed her with both arms and closed his eyes. “I hadn’t expected to be so dizzy. Give me a minute.”
“Maybe you should sit back down.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me.”
David came walking through the trees.
Kat breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God, you’re back.”
He walked over and took Win by the arm. “How’re you feeling?”
“Not so good. Could you make the ground stop moving and the trees stop spinning?”
David chuckled. “I’m gonna give it my best shot. The wagon is just through those trees. I got it as close as I could. I’m gonna help you get there, and then we’re gonna back to the cabin for the night.”
“We’re not going back to town?”
“No, with you not at your best I don’t wanna risk it. I’d rather drive in daylight if I don’t have you as a scout.”
“Understood. Let’s get moving so we can get Kat inside where it’s safe.”
She frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be safe?”
David caressed her cheek. “This is not a safe area for women alone, Kat. It’s best to take precautions and not travel at night if we don’t have to.” He put his arm around Win’s waist. “Do you think you can make it to the road?”
“With your help, I’ll make it.”
David nodded at Kat. “You hold on to his other side and we’ll walk him back to the wagon.”
She glanced at the ground. “What about the basket and the blanket?”
“Grab the blanket but leave the basket. It’s empty anyway.”
She leaned over and picked up the blanket, throwing it over her shoulder. Her arm slid around Win’s waist, and they began walking toward the direction David had come from.
“You all right, Win?” asked David.
“Feeling dizzy and sick to my stomach. Must’ve hit my head pretty hard.”
“You’ve got a big knot at the back, and you broke the skin because there was blood earlier. I’ll be able to tell more when we get you back under the light.”
“It’s cooling off now. We’re gonna need a fire tonight.”
David sighed. “Yeah, I know. There’s a stack of logs not far from the cabin. It won’t take me long to chop a few of them down to a size we can use.”
Win nodded and then groaned.
“Look, save the conversation until we get back. Win doesn’t need all this aggravation.”
David let out a cough that suspiciously sounded like a laugh. “Yes, ma’am.”
Kat harrumphed and felt the hairs on the back of her neck tingle. She glanced around but could only make out shadows.
“Is something wrong, Kat?” asked David.
“No, I guess not. It just felt like somebody was watching us.”
David’s hand gripped hers where it rested on Win’s waist. “Relax, honey. It’s just your imagination working overtime. The woods can be pretty scary to somebody that’s not used to them.”
Kat kept her mouth shut, but visions of clobbering him over the head with a big stick danced through her head.
I’m not some shrinking violet that faints at the first sign of trouble.
She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other to get Win to the wagon.
A short time later, she helped David carry Win into the little cabin. They placed him in one of the rockers, and David went to light the kerosene lamp. He brought in the emergency bundle from the wagon and laid out two blankets on the dirty floor. “Come on, buddy. I need you to lay down for me.”
Win eyed the floor and grimaced. Gingerly, he slid to the floor and stretched out. “I want you to know I’m doing this under protest.”
David smirked. “Understood.”
“You know, I could help you get some wood. I’m not sick.”
David brought the lamp closer and used his canteen to wet a handkerchief. “I’ll be the judge of that.” He looked up at Kat. “Can you hold the light for me, or does the sight of blood make you sick?”
She snorted. “As long as it’s not my blood, I’ll be fine.” She took the lamp and held it over Win’s head. “Uh, do you think he needs stitches?”
David looked up, his eyes widening. “You can put stitches in?”
“Uh, no, I meant does he need a doctor to put stitches in?”
“Honey, it doesn’t work that way. Nearest doc is several hours away. People don’t go running to him for something as simple as stitches.”
“What do they do if they need sewed up?”
He s
ighed. “Well, in my family, either Daddy Beau or Mom does it.”
“Anna sews up cuts on people?”
“Sure! I’ve seen her do it lots of times.”
She thought for a moment. “Where does she get the catgut?”
“The what?”
“The suture material. What does she use to sew you up?”
David glanced at Win and then back at Kat. “She uses a needle and thread.”
Kat felt the blood drain from her face. “I don’t think I wanna hear anymore.”
“Are you okay?” asked David.
“Sure, just do what you need to do.”
David cleaned away the dried blood. “It’s only superficial. It doesn’t look like he needs stitches. The bleeding has stopped so I think he’ll be okay. I think he just needs to rest and that headache he won’t admit to having will be gone by morning.”
Win groaned. “Yes, Doctor David. Is there anything else we should know?”
“Yeah, you should know you’re an ass, but I love you anyway.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss against his forehead. “For me, take it easy, please.”
Win smiled and closed his eyes.
David turned his gaze to Kat. “I’m gonna take the ax and get us some wood for a fire. There are a whole pile of logs in back of the cabin just through the trees. It won’t take me long to chop a few of them up into small enough pieces to burn in the fireplace. We’re gonna need warmth in a few hours, plus I can make us a pot of coffee once I get it going.” He looked down at Win. “Watch him close and if you need me just go to the door and holler my name. I’ll hear you fine.” He touched her cheek. “Will you be okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” she said wearily. “Just go do what you need to do and don’t worry about us. But do me a favor and leave the door open. I wanna be able to see outside.”
David kissed her on the cheek and stood up. He placed the lamp on the table and pulled one of the rockers over next to Win. “Come here, honey. You might as well be comfortable until I get back.”
She nodded and sank into the hard chair, watching David walk out the door. She heard him moving around outside, and then his footsteps faded into the distance. Her gaze turned to Win when she heard him start to snore softly.
“At least he’s getting the rest he needs,” she whispered.
Her head turned toward the door when she heard something outside. She moved closer to Win and glanced down, his face serene in the soft light.
“Kat.”
She heard her name called, almost a whisper. “David, is that you?” Getting to her feet, she gazed at the open door. There was only darkness outside the cabin. She listened carefully but heard nothing. “I must be imagining things.”
“Kat, I need you.”
She moved quietly, not wanting to wake Win. Taking a deep breath, she stuck her head outside and felt small drops of rain pelting her skin. She hadn’t realized it had begun to rain. “David, are you out here?”
Not hearing anything, she took one step outside and felt a sharp pain in the back of her head right before darkness enveloped her.
* * * *
David walked toward the cabin, his arms full of firewood. He’d piled it on as heavy as he could when the first drops of rain began to fall. He noticed the door open as he neared the cabin.
“Damn, I should have closed the door to keep out the cool air.” He moved closer. “Kat, I’m coming in.”
He frowned when she didn’t answer and walked into the cabin, glancing around. He didn’t see Kat, but Win was still on the blankets, snoring loudly.
“Where can she be?” He walked to the door and listened but didn’t hear anything unusual. “Maybe she needed some personal time. We’ve got no privy here so she’s probably off in the trees doing her business.” He walked out into the rain a little ways down the trail. “Kat, where are you?”
“David?”
He turned at the sound of Win’s voice and hurried back to the cabin. He found him struggling to get up. “Hey, wait a minute. You’re in no condition to be running around. What do you need?”
“Is Kat okay? I thought I heard her call out.”
David chuckled. “You wouldn’t have heard a train if it came through here. You were snoring loud enough to wake the dead when I brought the wood in.”
Win glanced around. “Where is she?”
David looked toward the door. “I think she went to relieve herself. She was gone when I brought in the wood. Damn, I need to get another load before it gets any wetter.” He put his hand on Win’s shoulder. “You stay here.”
“Help me sit in the chair. I’m not ready to lie down yet.”
David helped him up and then squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll be right back.” He ran down the path, scooped up a pile of logs, and headed back. When he reached the cabin, Win was squatting by the open door, looking at something on the ground.
“What is it?”
He looked up, his nostrils flaring, his pulse visibly beating in the veins of his neck. “It’s blood. Have you found Kat yet?”
David dropped the wood and rushed to Win’s side. His finger touched the dark stain on the ground, and he swore. “It’s still fresh so it can’t be yours. Your bleeding stopped before we got back to the cabin. She can’t be far.” He stood up and walked to the tree line. “Kat, where are you?” The only sound was the patter of raindrops through the leaves of the trees.
“Let’s fan out and search.” Win pointed toward the road they came in on. “You go that way, and I’ll circle around behind the cabin.”
“Are you sure you’re up to it?”
Win narrowed his eyes, his jaw clenched, and turned toward the back of the cabin.
David took off down the trail, calling Kat’s name over and over. He studied the ground carefully, but didn’t see anything. He was about to turn back when he heard Win calling his name. Rushing toward his voice, he found him standing beside the cabin. Win motioned for David to follow him.
“Did you find something?”
Win nodded. “Tracks. Someone else was here.”
David walked behind him on the trail. “Can you tell how long ago?”
“The tracks are as fresh as ours.” He led David about a quarter mile from the cabin. The trail was narrow, meandering through the trees haphazardly. He walked up to one of the larger trees and squatted down. When David looked over his shoulder, he pointed to the ground. “The trees have kept the trail from getting washed away.”
David looked at the hoof prints in the soft ground. “It’s not Indians. The horse is shoed.”
Win nodded and pointed west. “He came from that direction, but he rode out that way.” His finger pointed south. “Do you see how deep these prints are compared to the ones leading here?”
“Yeah, he was carrying a load when he left.” He looked at Win. “Someone took Kat off on a horse riding double.”
Win stood and looked out into the woods. “Not sure she was riding. With the blood at the cabin I’m guessing that she’s lying over the saddle, probably unconscious.”
David slapped his hand against the tree. “Who the hell would have taken her?”
“Maybe the men from Treasure City. The ones that don’t like the idea of a white woman with a Shoshone.”
“Should we ride for the sheriff?”
Win shook his head. “No time. The trail will eventually disappear in the rain.”
“Can you track them with your head all messed up?”
Win turned back toward the cabin. “No choice. We both know I’m a better tracker than you. Come on, you can ride White Socks, and I’ll take one of the others.”
David hurried along behind him. “Why don’t I ride one of the others?”
Win gave a brittle laugh. “Because the last time you rode bareback you fell and broke your arm. We only have one saddle with us, and the wagon will only slow us down.”
“Can’t argue with that. How much of a lead do they have?”
“No more than a h
alf hour now. It’ll be an hour by the time we get supplies loaded and get moving.” He looked up at the sky. “The rain makes things harder. No moon to navigate by with these clouds. It’s gonna be slow travel.”
David moved past him. “I’ll get your saddlebags loaded and get a blanket for your horse.”
“Make sure you load the guns. We wanna be ready for anything.”
* * * *
Kat groaned and then flinched. It sounded loud, almost like an echo in the deadly quiet. She slowly opened her eyes and felt her pulse race, a fine layer of sweat breaking out over her body. It was dark, so pitch-black it seemed to close in around her. The back of her head hurt with a throbbing ache. She tried to reach up, only to find her hands bound together with some kind of rope. She could feel the rough fibers scratching against her skin. Struggling to sit up, she discovered her feet were bound as well.
She was lying on damp ground. She couldn’t feel any grass around her head, and the smell of wet earth was heavy. Fear so strong she could taste it threatened to overwhelm her senses.
What happened?
The last thing she remembered was watching over Win in the cabin.
What if they hurt him when they took me?
She strained to hear something that could tell her where she was. The only sounds were the wind blowing as if through a tunnel and the quiet dripping of some kind of liquid. The sound of her own harsh breathing drowned out everything else. She could taste the stale, moist air that hung heavy all around her.
Her breath caught when she heard footsteps, loose rocks scattering with each step. Someone came near, their breathing even and relaxed. She swallowed hard and tried to free her hands.
“Who’s there?” She heard a husky male laugh and then the sound of something scratching. A flame burst forth a few feet away, and then a small lantern illuminated the room. She focused on the man holding the light and swore softly.
Timothy Canders chuckled. “Now, now, Miss Evans. Is that any way for a lady to talk?”
When Kat's Away [Sequel to Anna Doubles Down] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 13
