by Bobbi Smith
“She has taken her horse,” Lone Eagle told them when he returned.
Crooked Snake was in a drunken fury. He looked at the eastern sky. “It is not long until dawn. I will track her down then—and when I find her, she will pay.”
As the angry warrior waited for first light, he slowly sobered up, becoming more furious and determined with every passing minute.
CHAPTER TEN
Abbie had kept her pace slow as she continued on ever farther away from the campsite. The cover of the night had been both a blessing and a curse. She had escaped unseen, but finding her way in the darkness was not easy. She would have liked to have ridden faster, but she did not want to risk injuring her horse.
At sunup, Abbie quickened her pace. She had tried to pay attention on the previous days, wanting to keep a sense of which direction they were going, and she was glad now that she had. She kneed her horse to a gallop, heading back the way they’d come.
For the first time in days, her spirits were filled with hope.
She was going home.
She was going to be safe.
Crooked Snake was relentless in his pursuit. Anger and humiliation motivated him. He had known the Golden One was a fighter from the first, when she had resisted him so violently. He had been careful in the succeeding days not to be harsh with her, but no more. When he found her—and he would find her—she would pay the price for her defiance.
Lone Eagle and the other warriors kept pace with Crooked Snake. As the miles passed and they still saw no sign of her, Lone Eagle found that he was growing impressed by the Golden One’s daring and riding skill. He was confident that they would catch up with her eventually, but he admired her stamina and bravery.
Abbie had been making good time in her desperate race to freedom. She had no idea how much of a head start she had on the warriors, and she couldn’t worry about it. All that mattered was to keep going. In her heart, she prayed she would come upon trackers from the ranch searching for her, but she knew not to count on anyone coming to her rescue.
She was on her own.
She had to save herself.
It was late in the afternoon when the raiding party finally caught sight of the woman. They had just topped a hill and could see her some distance ahead of them in the valley below.
Crooked Snake was determined to catch up with her before dark. He raced after her, intent on making her pay for daring to defy him.
At first Abbie was not aware that she had been spotted and that the renegades were closing in on her. She kept her gaze fixed on the trail. Each mile she covered brought her that much closer to home. She remembered that there was a small stream not too far ahead of her, and she planned to stop there and let her horse rest and have a drink.
Abbie never got the chance.
The eerie, frightening shouts of the warriors as they closed in echoed around Abbie and sent a terrified chill down her spine. She put her heels to her horse’s sides and leaned low over his neck, hanging on tightly as she raced on.
She refused to give up.
She refused to surrender.
But Crooked Snake was as determined as she was.
He rode up beside her and reached over to grab her. He dragged her off her horse and hauled her bodily over in front of him.
“No!” Abbie screamed in abject horror. She had been so close! And now . . .
Crooked Snake reined in as she fought violently against him. Her blouse ripped, and a piece of it was torn off in the struggle. He was so infuriated that he threw her to the ground. He dismounted, and, in a rage, he took her by the arm and pulled her up, hitting her. At her cry of pain, he hit her again.
The other members of the raiding party quickly reached the scene.
Lone Eagle had known Crooked Snake was angry, but he hadn’t thought he would be so cruel. He could see that Golden One was suffering from Crooked Snake’s punishing blows. For just an instant the Golden One looked up at him, and across the distance their gazes met. He could see the hatred, desperation, and pain revealed there. Something stirred within him, and he felt driven to take action.
“Crooked Snake!” Lone Eagle dismounted and grabbed the other warrior’s arm to stop him from beating his captive anymore.
Abbie was stunned to be released so suddenly, and she collapsed to the ground, battered and bleeding. She clutched at her torn blouse in an attempt to cover her breasts. She looked up to see that the other warrior had stopped the first from beating her.
Furious that Lone Eagle had interfered, Crooked Snake drew his knife on him. “You dare to stop me?”
The two warriors faced off.
“Look at her,” Lone Eagle countered. “You were the one who said she would be worth more unharmed.”
Crooked Snake glared down at the bloody captive. His rage was still powerful within him.
“Then you take her and make sure she does not escape again,” he directed. He did not wait for Lone Eagle to respond. He walked away to get his horse.
Lone Eagle picked up the beaten girl, who resisted only slightly.
“No,” Abbie cried out weakly.
“Be still,” he said to her in English as he carried her to his horse and lifted her up onto its back. He mounted behind her and kept his arms around her for support and restraint, just in case she might try to escape again. He knew now just how smart and resourceful she was.
Once Black Cloud had claimed her horse, they started off again, riding back the way they’d come.
It was getting near sundown, but Trent didn’t even consider stopping. They’d followed the trail as far as it had led, and then he’d circled out, looking for any clue that would give him a hint of his quarry’s direction. He hadn’t found anything new, but his instincts were telling him the raiding party had headed south, and he’d been at this long enough to know when to trust his instincts.
“They headed south—toward the border,” Trent said, staring off in the distance.
“How do you know? How can you be sure?” Jake pressed him.
Trent was scowling darkly as he glanced back over his shoulder to where Jake stood with Faith and Hank. “It’s what I get paid for,” he said tensely. “Let’s get a few more miles in before we stop for the night.”
As they continued on, Jake rode beside Faith.
“I hope he knows what he’s doing,” Jake said to her.
“He does.”
Faith trusted Trent’s judgment.
She had to.
He was her only hope.
Faith’s gaze lingered on Trent as he rode ahead of her. She could tell he was alert and completely focused on their surroundings. He was ready for trouble, should anything happen.
Faith found herself wondering about his past—whether he had any family, and how he’d come to be a hired gun. Silent type that he was, she didn’t know if she’d ever find out. The one thing she did know about him was that he was a good dancer. The memory made her smile for just a moment; then she frowned, wondering where that thought had come from.
Darkness had enveloped the land when they finally set up camp for the night near a small watering hole. They took care of their horses, then settled in and ate. All were appreciative of the food Rose had packed for them.
Hank and Jake hadn’t had much to say. Both men were still uneasy about Trent’s decision to head south.
“Why do you think they’re heading for the border?” Hank asked finally, breaking the silence around the campfire. He’d always considered himself a good tracker, and had seen no sign indicating the raiding party had come this way.
Trent looked over at Hank. “There are men there who would pay a lot of money for a girl like Abbie. Since we haven’t found her dead on the trail, it’s a good possibility that’s where they’re taking her.”
Faith was sickened by the thought. “Do you think we can catch up with them in time?”
“We have to,” Jake said quickly.
Unable to bear thinking about what might be in store for Abbie,
Jake got up and stalked away from the campfire. It was difficult enough for him imagining what Abbie might be suffering at the hands of her captors, but the thought of her being sold into that kind of slavery tormented him to the depths of his soul.
Faith started to go after him, but Trent spoke up, stopping her.
“Don’t.”
She paused, giving him a questioning look.
“Trent’s right. Sometimes a man needs to be alone,” Hank finished.
“It’s time to bed down if we’re going to be ready to ride out at dawn,” Trent said.
Faith looked off into the darkness in the direction Jake had gone, then moved to spread out her bedroll. After the long day they’d had in the saddle, there was no denying she was exhausted. She slipped beneath the blanket and sought what comfort she could find there on the unforgiving hardness of the ground.
Lone Eagle brought his blanket and a length of rope with him as he walked over to where the Golden One was sitting. Lone Eagle looked her over for a moment, studying her bruised face in the light of the campfire. He hoped she was as smart as she was spirited. He hoped she had learned her lesson. She could not escape. She belonged to them now. He spread out his blanket and then knelt beside her. She started to scoot away from him, but he stopped her. He tied one end of the rope to her right ankle and then tied the other end to his own left leg. He would make sure she did not get away again.
Abbie was in pain. She ached all over from the brutal beating she’d received earlier. When she’d seen the warrior coming toward her with a blanket and a rope, she hadn’t been sure what to expect. When he’d knelt beside her, she’d feared the worst, and now that he’d bound her to him, she was even more uncertain of what was to come. She believed he wasn’t as savage as the other warrior who’d beaten her earlier, but he was still one of her captors.
“What are you going to do with me?” she asked, terrified of what was to come.
Lone Eagle ignored her question. He could sense the near panic in her, so he simply stretched out on his blanket beside her.
“Sleep,” he directed tersely, and then he closed his eyes.
Relief flooded through Abbie that he hadn’t tried to touch her. She shifted as far away from him as she could and then lay down herself. The rope that bound them together was pulled taut, and she knew he would be aware of every move she made all night long. She closed her eyes and prayed for sleep to come. It would be the only peace and solace she would find.
Across the campfire, Little Dog’s gaze was hot upon their captive. He had been glad that no one had suspected his true motive when he’d discovered she had escaped the previous night. He just regretted that he hadn’t been able to take her for himself. Now that she was bound to Lone Eagle, he realized he would never get the chance. The knowledge left him frustrated and angry, but there was little he could do about it. He bedded down, wondering what females they would find on the ranch they were going to raid in a few days.
Mason lay in bed in darkened bedroom, staring out the window at the night sky. He longed to be riding with the search party, not lying there so helplessly. Though he did thank God he was alive, he cursed his weakened condition. He wanted to save Abbie.
It seemed to Mason that he had been lying there for an eternity. He was a man of action, and being bedridden this way was pure torture for him.
A soft knock at the door drew his attention.
“Yeah?”
Rose opened the door to check on him, and light spilled into the room from the lamp she was carrying with her. “I just wanted to see if you needed anything before I call it a night.”
“The only thing I need is to be able to get up out of this bed and go help look for Abbie.”
She heard the frustration and anger in his voice. She understood it, but Mason was going to have to learn to accept the fact that he would not regain his full strength for some time.
“Don’t even think about trying to get out of that bed without help,” Rose ordered. “The doctor will be out again tomorrow or the next day to see how you’re doing. Until then, you’re to stay right where you are.”
Mason knew she was right, but it didn’t make his helplessness any easier for him to accept.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, using the tone he’d used as a boy whenever she’d corrected him.
“I’ll see you in the morning, then,” she said. “Good night.”
As she closed the door and left him, Rose was glad for his show of spirit. She hoped it meant he was getting some of his strength back.
Long hours passed before Mason fell asleep. And though he badly needed the rest, his sleep, when it finally came, was fitful. It was filled with images of the day of the raid and his last vision of Abbie, being thrown from her horse and lying motionless on the ground.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Determination and hatred filled Ward Sykes as he rode out of Tucson. Word had reached him the day before that his son Matt had been killed by a hired gun named Trent Marshall up in Silver Mesa.
It didn’t matter to Ward that Matt had been a killer—a wanted man with a price on his head.
Vengeance was all he cared about.
He set out for Coyote Canyon. He’d heard that was where the hired gun had gone to turn his son’s body over to the stage line authorities, so he was going to start looking for him there. Ward didn’t know how long it would take, and it didn’t matter to him. He was going to kill Trent Marshall—he was going to get his revenge.
Little Dog was up before the sun. He made no sound as he walked closer to the Golden One to watch her as she slept. Her blanket had fallen away, exposing the curve of her breast where her blouse had been torn the previous day. Again, fiery need grew within him. He wanted her, and it infuriated him that Lone Eagle and Crooked Snake were both watching over her.
Lone Eagle had been lying quietly with his eyes closed, waiting for the dawn, when he heard someone moving about. He glanced up to see Little Dog standing close by, staring down at their captive. Lone Eagle looked over at the Golden One and realized why the other warrior was there.
“What do you want, Little Dog?” he demanded, knowing full well what was on the other warrior’s mind.
Little Dog was startled to find Lone Eagle was awake. “It is almost dawn. It is time to ride out.” He let his gaze rake over the woman one last time, then turned and stalked off.
Abbie had come awake at the sound of their voices so close by. When she’d opened her eyes to find the warrior staring at her, she’d instinctively covered herself with the blanket.
Lone Eagle knew what Little Dog was like, and he knew what he had to do. Untying the rope that bound Abbie to him, he got up and went to pull the blanket away from the captive. He wasn’t surprised that she resisted, clutching at the blanket and struggling to hold on to it, but he managed to get it away from her.
Abbie was frightened by the warrior’s move. She held the fabric of her blouse up as she watched him warily. When he took out his knife, her heartbeat quickened, and she knew a moment of true terror. She thought he might be planning to punish her for not letting go of the blanket. She began to tremble.
Lone Eagle ignored her as he cut off a section of the blanket, made a slit in it, and then walked over to her. Abbie stared up at him in abject horror, not knowing what to expect. He could see fear in her expression as he approached, but didn’t care. He simply slipped the makeshift garment over her head to cover her.
Abbie’s relief was profound as she looked up at her captor. She was completely surprised by his act of kindness.
“Thank you,” she said.
Lone Eagle saw the change in her expression and nodded to her. He turned away to get the horses ready.
Crooked Snake and Black Cloud had awakened when they’d heard the others talking. They’d watched what had happened and understood why Lone Eagle had taken such action. They both knew that Little Dog was not to be trusted around female captives.
They ate what little food they had and
then got ready to mount up.
Abbie had been hoping to ride her own horse this day, but the warrior led her to his. It had been awkward for her riding in front of him the day before. She’d struggled not to lean back against him, but pain from the beating and weariness had made her give up the fight. She expected him to ride the same way today, but instead he untied the rope at her wrists, then mounted and reached down to bring her up behind him. Abbie instinctively put her arms around his waist, clinging to the hard, lean strength of him as they rode off.
Larissa Murray was up early and waiting for her father when he came downstairs to have breakfast.
“Papa, are you going to go out to the Lazy R today to see Mason?”
“You heard me talking to your mother last night, didn’t you?” he asked with a smile.
“Yes, and I was wondering . . . Could I come along, and maybe Katie and Zach, too?”
Richard Murray was thoughtful for a moment, thinking back to the last time he’d seen Mason. “I think we can arrange it. Mason should be strong enough to have visitors by now. What do you think, dear?” he asked his wife, who was busy cooking his breakfast.
“That’s fine. I know they’ve all been worrying about him.”
“All right, I plan to leave around ten o’clock. Can you get Katie and Zach here by then?”
“We’ll be ready!” Larissa pressed a quick kiss to his cheek as she started to hurry from the room. She had to go tell Katie and Zach the news. Pausing at the door, she looked back at her father. “Thank you.”
“Go on—get your friends,” he encouraged.
Larissa was thrilled and relieved. It was going to be a wonderful day! She was going to see Mason.
She had been in love with Mason for what seemed like forever, and when she’d first learned that he’d been shot and Abbie had been kidnapped, she’d been heartsick. Then, when she’d heard that Faith had ridden out with the searchers, leaving Mason in the care of their housekeeper, she’d longed to go out to the Lazy R and nurse him herself. She’d known she couldn’t, though, since she was no relation to him, but now that he was improving there was no reason he couldn’t have a visit from friends. Larissa rushed off to get Katie and Zach, and by ten o’clock they were ready to go.
