Sweet Prairie Passion (Savage Destiny)

by Rosanne Bittner

  Twelve

  The next three days were like a living hell, not just mentally for Abbie, but physically for everyone. They passed through a canyon that wound for miles toward Independence Rock. It was unbearably hot, and all the water was poisoned by alkali. Wearied by the terrible heat, everyone’s strength was stretched to the limit by having to lose sleep for three nights in a row to chase after the animals and keep them from drinking bad water.

  Zeke had warned them about what it would be like, and they’d stocked up on fresh water from the Platte, but there were always animals that would try to get to the salty beds of water in the canyon. In many spots these were simply big white beds of pure alkali, where small lakes had dried up completely. Abbie thought it a terrible, desolate place, and knew how much LeeAnn would have hated it. Being there only accented Abbie’s own lonely, desolate feeling, until she felt that the empty, vacant land epitomized her soul. She wondered if she’d ever be a whole and happy person again. She longed to hear her father’s fiddle, to hear Jeremy’s laughter, to be held in her mother’s arms.

  For three days they dragged through the canyon, and Abbie lost her two spare oxen to the poison water. Willis Brown lost one of his cows also. Abbie cried intermittently as she walked along beside her oxen, missing the two that had died because they’d become like pets to her, the only living things left that she could care for and call her own. Others had offered to help her guide the oxen, but she’d stubbornly refused, insisting on doing it herself. She’d helped her father plenty of times and knew what to do. Zeke stayed ahead of the train, but she sensed that his thoughts were of her and that he was watching out for her, even though he was not obvious about it. She was aware that he probably did not like her leading the oxen alone, but he had to keep from appearing too concerned. Besides that, Abigail Trent had made up her mind to somehow convince Cheyenne Zeke that it was indeed possible for them to be together. She would show him how strong she was, how she could endure and that she wasn’t afraid of work. She’d show him she could live just like an Indian woman, if that was what it would take to be with him. The thought of proving something to him gave her a stubborn strength, and the slim hope that there could yet be something between them was all that kept her going mentally, the only thing that helped mitigate her pain from the death of her father and brother, and the desertion of her sister. And so she ignored the horrible heat as she plodded along beside the oxen through the hellish canyon, passing the bleached bones of animals that had come this way before them and had not made it.

  By the fourth day they reached Independence Rock and the Sweetwater River, an occasion of great relief and rejoicing for the weary, sunburned travelers. They all carved their names in the great, giant monolith of stone, and found enjoyment in studying the names of others who had carved their names there before them. Abbie wondered if the names would still all be there a hundred years later, and if, in the future, people would remember and appreciate those who went first and suffered so terribly.

  By that evening, Abbie had recovered enough emotionally to begin thinking practically. She sorted through the things in her wagon, selling most of her father’s clothes to Bentley Kelsoe for a fair price. There was no sense in holding onto them, except for one of his favorite shirts that she kept in his memory, as well as his cherished fiddle. But she kept Jeremy’s clothes, remembering the boy’s desire to give them to Indian children. When they reached Fort Bridger, she would make some kind of arrangement with Mr. Jim Bridger to see that Indian children got the clothes.

  For the first time since her father’s death, Abbie joined the others around the campfire that night, and to her great pleasure, Zeke also joined them, his mandolin in his hands. He played some soft, haunting Tennessee mountain songs, the wonderful music of the mandolin strings floating out over the night air. She knew it was his way of indirectly soothing her heart, of taking her back for a little while to Tennessee and the days when she still had a family. He again sang the song about a Tennessee mountain morning, and she thought of Tennessee, while she gazed out at the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains that loomed ahead of them. They were far off on the western horizon, and she could tell already how mighty and magnificent they must be. It helped to have them in sight, for it stirred an excitement in that part of her heart where the child still dwelled. They were approaching something new, something she had never seen before. A whole different world lay ahead of them, and, perhaps, somewhere ahead lay some kind of happiness for Abigail Trent.

  But she knew that her real happiness lay in the man sitting across the fire from her—in Cheyenne Zeke. He’d picked up the tempo now, and had everyone clapping to “She’ll Be Comin’ ’Round the Mountain”. Again he was all Tennessee man instead of Indian. In fact, he was everything when she thought about it—mountain man; scout; Indian fighter, although himself an Indian; and a down-home Tennessee man, too. How could she not love him or not want him? And how was she to forget him once he left them?

  The music picked up even more, and before she knew it, Abbie was singing with the rest of them. She even laughed once. Zeke glanced in her direction when he heard her laugh, and he smiled. That provocative grin of his white, even teeth created a stir in her groin, and she thought about how sweet his kisses were. Their eyes held a moment, then both quickly looked away.

  They headed out the next day, in better country now, following the Sweetwater. There was more grass for the animals, and the water was good. But as if someone were out to torture Abbie, at midafternoon, they were greeted by a horrible sight, The train came to a halt for seemingly no reason. Abbie strained to see what was up ahead, and to her horror she could see a man tied to a post. She ran to the sight before anyone could stop her, and her blood froze and she made a choking sound when she saw it was Quentin Robards, his wrists tied over his head to the post, his body stripped to his long johns and horribly mutilated, apparently with a knife, but there were also bullet holes in his chest. A deck of cards lay at his feet, and a note was stuck in his underwear. Others had already seen and turned away, but some of the men circled the scene, shaking their heads and discussing what could have happened. Zeke stood staring rigidly at the body, already figuring out the answer. It could be none other than Rube Givens. He reached for the note now, while Abbie stood paralyzed with fear. Zeke scanned the note, then handed it to Olin and glanced at Abbie with terrible pain in his eyes.

  “LeeAnn! Where’s LeeAnn?” Abbie screamed desperately.

  Their eyes held. “Givens has her,” he replied in a strained voice.

  Her mind raced, whirling with confusion and desperate fear for her sister. “I … what do you mean? Why did they kill Robards?”

  Zeke sighed and looked down at the note, his heart aching to make things better for Abbie. But things would not get better, and she had to know and face the truth. He read the awkward scrawling on the note.

  “Robards gambled for his life—with the pretty blond as his stake.” Abbie shuddered and grasped her stomach. “He lost. And we won the girl. He got mad—planned to sell her to a whorehouse. We decided to leave him for”—Zeke hesitated and cleared his throat—“for the blond’s bratty sister to find. We have her uppity sister with us now. Having a mighty good time with her.”

  “Oh, my God!” Mrs. Hanes gasped. “Poor LeeAnn!”

  Zeke watched Abbie closely, expecting her to scream and faint. But she only held his eyes with her own determined ones.

  “You have to find her!” she said in a shaking voice. “You have to try to find her before they kill her!”

  “Abbie, they will kill her,” he replied gently. “And if I do find her first, she’ll … she’ll be crazy from what they’ve done to her. I know those men.”

  “But you have to try!”

  Zeke nodded. “I know that. I intend to.”

  “Wait a minute!” Olin spoke up. “Givens has another angle to this! Don’t you see? He wants you to come after her, Zeke! He wants to get you out there alone. He’ll be waiting for
you!”

  Abbie’s heart pounded with dread, for she realized Olin was right.

  “I know that, too,” Zeke replied. “I can handle it. LeeAnn Trent might have been selfish and flighty, but she doesn’t deserve what they’ll do to her. Rube Givens has made his last mistake by goading me into going after him. He’ll pay dearly this time!”

  Zeke’s eyes were again dark and vengeful, filled with a frightening animallike hatred. He wadded up the note and threw it down, then looked around at the others.

  “I don’t think any of you would disagree. I have to go after them,” he told them all. “There’s a slim chance I can get to them before they kill LeeAnn, which they most certainly will do eventually! I have to try to get to her first.”

  “It’s all right, Zeke,” Kelsoe replied. “We can get along without you for a few days. You just point the way and we’ll keep going and wait for you to catch up.”

  Morris Connely listened attentively, surprised at what Givens had done to Quentin Robards, but pleased that it would draw Zeke away from the train and perhaps even lead the man to his death. He’d been worried all along that Cheyenne Zeke would discover his own background and, perhaps, make him leave the wagon train, but, luckily, so many things had gone wrong that Zeke had been too wrapped in the problems of others to think any more about Connely. Connely turned away from the gruesome sight of Robards’ dead body, thinking to himself how little it resembled the smooth, handsome, well-dressed man who had ridden off with LeeAnn Trent.

  Abbie’s mind whirled as the men gathered together with Zeke to discuss how they would go ahead without Zeke and Olin, because Olin had already told Zeke he’d go along to help hunt LeeAnn and would not take no for an answer. She stared at Robards, feeling no remorse when she realized what the man had intended to do with her sister when he got her back East. If only LeeAnn had listened! What a horrible ending to her sister’s big dreams of a lovely home in Chicago or St. Louis! What awful things would Givens and his men do to her? It was too gruesome to dwell on without wanting to scream and scream until she had no breath left in her.

  “LeeAnn!” she whispered. “Oh, God, my poor LeeAnn! Why didn’t you listen to me! I knew it! I knew Robards was bad!”

  Mrs. Hanes came up and put her arm around Abbie, urging her to come away from the horrible remains, around which buzzards already circled. But when Abbie turned to face the woman, Mrs. Hanes saw a new strength and womanly determination she had never before seen in the girl’s eyes, and she was surprised at her calm attitude.

  “Mrs. Hanes, I’m going with Zeke—if he’ll let me.”

  “Abbie! That’s impossible, and you know it!”

  “I’m going!” Abbie replied firmly, as the men dispersed and some began cutting down Quentin Robards.

  “The bastard deserved it for what he intended to do with that poor, stupid girl,” Casey Miles mumbled.

  “I hope Zeke guts Rube Givens out like the pig he is!” David Craig added, his heart crying for LeeAnn, the girl he’d loved since he’d first seen her, but who had spurned him badly. He had wanted her to regret that, but not this way; and he felt crazy with the thought of Givens putting his hands on her. Zeke walked toward Abbie when he noticed Mrs. Hanes arguing with the girl. She faced Zeke.

  “This child wants to go with you!” Mrs. Hanes exclaimed to Zeke. “I’ve been trying to tell her it’s a ridiculous thought.”

  Zeke looked down at Abbie and shook his head. “It is ridiculous. What makes you think I’d let you go out there with us? You get that thought right out of your head, Abigail Trent.” He started to walk past her, but she grabbed the sleeve of his buckskin shirt, surprising him with the firmness in her voice.

  “I’m going, and you can’t stop me!” she shouted. “If you don’t let me go with you, then I’ll run off and follow behind! LeeAnn is the only family I have left, and she’s in trouble. You have to let me go, Zeke! If she’s still alive, she’ll need me! I’m her only kin and the only one left to love her and help her! She’ll be needing a woman when you find her. God knows what they’ve done to her! Please, Zeke! She’s all I have left! Please!”

  Tears began to fill her eyes against her will. She wanted to appear strong and determined, but the calmness to her voice had begun to rise to hysteria. Zeke studied her a moment, then shook his head again.

  “Do you have any idea how dangerous it would be?”

  Olin Wales and David Craig were both approaching them now.

  “Of course I do!” Abbie answered. “But I’d be with you and Mr. Wales. How could I be in danger if I’m with you?”

  Zeke rolled his eyes. “I can’t make guarantees, Miss Trent. It’s too dangerous, and that’s all there is to it.” He turned to walk away.

  “No, that’s not it!” she screamed at him. “You have to understand, she’s all I’ve got! Maybe she didn’t care about me, but I care about her, and I owe it to pa to help her!” Zeke looked back at her again, and tears streamed down her face. “Don’t you understand? If I stay here with the train, after all I’ve been through already, I’ll go crazy with wondering about her, wondering if she needs me—if you found her alive! Please, please let me go, too, Zeke. I can ride and I can shoot pa’s Spencer rifle real good. And I don’t”——her voice began to break—“I don’t have … anything left… nothing … except LeeAnn! I want to help her if you find her! I mean it! If you don’t take me with you, I’ll follow! I swear I’ll follow! Isn’t it better that I’m with you than out there alone?”

  He studied her eyes, realizing she meant every word of it. Abigail Trent was going to be stubborn about this. And she was right. She’d suffered greatly the last several days, and part of the blame was his own. He was tired of going against what she wanted, of always telling her no.

  “She’s right, Zeke—about LeeAnn maybe needin’ her if we find the girl,” Olin spoke up. “I’ll be along, too. If things get bad, or we find LeeAnn dead before we catch up with Givens, I’ll bring Abbie back here for you and then catch up. We both know the woods. You track them and I’ll track you.”

  Zeke sighed indecisively and glanced at Mrs. Hanes. “I don’t know what to tell you,” the woman spoke up. “It seems ridiculous and dangerous, yet we all know what poor Abbie has been through. If it will soothe her tortured mind to be able to go along, perhaps she should go. All of us are confident of your abilities, Zeke. And as Mr. Wales said, he’ll be along, too. He can bring her back as soon as you find LeeAnn, and then LeeAnn will have Abbie with her the whole time. The poor girl will surely need that.”

  Zeke’s eyes shifted to Abbie again. “You realize, of course, that we just might find LeeAnn the way we found Robards? Do you think you could bear such a sight?”

  She wiped at her tears and kept her chin up. “I could bear it better, knowing I was there myself to help bury her and pray over her, than staying here … not knowing till later … and never being able to see her again—even dead. But there’s always the hope she’s alive, and I have to be with her if she is. Please! I won’t get in the way … I promise. I’ll do everything you say! Everything!”

  “To the letter? Even if I tell you to go back?”

  “Yes, sir,” she replied, her eyes lighting up with hope. In the back of her mind she realized that Zeke himself might be needing her also. What if he were wounded? She couldn’t bear the thought of his being hurt without her there to tend to him.

  “I’ll be blunt, Miss Trent,” he told her, trying not to sound too familiar with her by using her first name. “If things go wrong, and we get trapped, if I think Givens might get his hands on you, I’ll put a bullet between your eyes myself. You understand me? You’ll not live to suffer at his hands.”

  That statement brought silence to the others, who were a little surprised at the remark. But Abbie knew what he meant, and she knew it meant he did love her. She struggled not to allow her love for him to show through.

  “I understand,” she replied. “I’d want it that way.”

  He em
itted a disgusted sigh. “This is crazy, but if you want to take the risk, you can go—but only until we find LeeAnn. After that, Olin brings you back. The only reason I’m agreeing is that I think they’ll dump her someplace when they’re through with her. They know I’ll still come after them because it’s the way I’m made. This is going to be the last showdown, and he knows it.”

  “I want to go, too,” David Craig spoke up, moving to stand beside Abbie. “You’ll need all the help you can get, and I’m good with a rifle. And LeeAnn was … important to me. I cared for her a lot, and I need some revenge of my own, Zeke. If we find her and she’s still with them, you’ll be needing the extra gun. But if they dump her, like you say they will, I can bring her and Abbie back. That’ll leave Olin free to go on with you and help you. You shouldn’t go after them all alone. They’ll lay a trap, sure as fire. And the train needs you. They understand why you have to go, but they all want you to come back. Please, let me help. I need to—just like Abbie does. Surely you understand that kind of need. You felt it when you went after those men who killed your wife.”

  Zeke almost flinched at the remark, and a terrifying hatred came back into his dark, Cheyenne eyes. He nodded. “All right. But the same goes for you, David. You do every damned thing I tell you to do!”

  “Yes, sir. I will.”

  Zeke turned and glared at Olin. “This is all ridiculous! I must be losing my mind!”

  “Maybe,” the man replied. “But part of what they say makes sense, Zeke.”

  Zeke scowled at him. “You’re as ignorant as they are!” he growled. He turned to Abbie and David. “Go saddle your horses and pack a few things!” he barked. “And neither one of you had better slow me down!”

  Abbie wanted to hug him. As she ran off with David, she could hear Zeke, obviously irritated at this sudden change of plans, barking orders to Kelsoe. “Just keep the train moving,” he told the man. “Follow the Sweetwater, like I said. It’s about ten days to the South Pass. If you get there before we get back, hold up there a couple of days. If we don’t get back by then, go on southwest, and in about ten more days you’ll reach Fort Bridger. If we haven’t caught up by then, we’re all dead. At Fort Bridger you can get help to lead you the rest of the way. I’m damned sorry for this mess.”