by Bobbi Smith
“Larissa? Is something wrong?” she asked as she rushed into the room, only to find Mason alive and well, giving Larissa a kiss. She stopped and stood still near the doorway.
“Oh, Rose.” Larissa shifted nervously away from Mason, embarrassed that Rose had caught them kissing. “I . . .”
Rose’s shock gave way to pure happiness, and she broke into a bright smile as she looked at the two of them. “Well, of all the things I expected to see when I came rushing in here, that wasn’t one of them.” She looked at Mason. “I think it’s safe to say you’re back among the living now . . . ?”
“Thanks to you and Larissa,” he told her.
“I’m just glad your fever’s finally broken,” Rose said. She came in and stood at the opposite side of the bed from Larissa. “How do you feel? Do you think you could eat something?”
“Food sounds good—real good,” he answered.
“Now, that sounds like the Mason I know.” Rose laughed. “I’ll be right back with some broth for you.”
“I was thinking of something more like a steak,” he called after her as she turned to go.
“You are feeling better.”
“Rose.”
Rose looked back at Mason.
“Has there been any word from Faith?”
Her gaze met his across the room. “No. Nothing.”
She left them alone while she went to prepare his broth.
Mason gave a slow shake of his head. “I wonder where they are. I wonder if they’re even getting close.”
“I heard my father and mother talking, and they were saying they’d heard Trent Marshall was every bit as good as his reputation claims.”
“I hope what they heard is true. I was impressed with him when I talked to him that day, but with the big head start the raiding party had, it’s going to take the best to track Abbie down. If they’ve had any luck at all, they should be closing in on the renegades by now.”
Abbie had lost all track of time, and she was beginning to lose any hope that she would ever be rescued. With every mile they covered, she grew ever more mentally and physically drained. She merely existed, trying not to think beyond the moment. She’d been relieved when she was finally allowed to ride her own horse again. When she’d been forced to ride double, the unavoidable close contact with the warrior had been unsettling for her.
They had been riding since dawn, and she knew something strange was going on when they stopped late in the morning.
“Black Cloud and Lone Eagle, ride with me,” Crooked Snake ordered. “We will check on the ranch. It is only a short distance ahead. Little Dog, tie up the captive and be ready. If all is as it should be, we will come back for you and then we will attack.”
“Where do you want me to leave the Golden One when we go on the raid?” Little Dog asked.
Lone Eagle had been looking around and saw a place among some rocks that would shield her from view and from the sun. He wanted to make sure she would still be there when they got back.
“Tie her up and leave her there, where she will be hidden,” Lone Eagle told him, pointing out the place.
Little Dog dismounted and went to pull her down off her horse.
“What are you doing?” Abbie demanded, resisting his efforts. Something about this warrior troubled her, and she didn’t want his hands upon her. She had noticed how they had all been looking around the area, and couldn’t imagine what they were planning.
Little Dog ignored her protest and forced her to dismount.
“Stay with him,” Lone Eagle ordered, knowing Little Dog spoke no English.
Abbie did as she was told and watched helplessly as her captor rode off with the other two warriors, leaving her alone with the one who frightened her.
Little Dog got a rope to restrain her, then grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her after him. He led her to the spot they had chosen and pushed her down to sit on the ground. He knelt down before her and quickly bound her legs, then untied her wrists and twisted her arms behind her to tie them there.
“Why are you doing this? Stop!” Abbie tried to break away from him, but his hold on her was unyielding. She knew that if he was restraining her this way, they planned to leave her behind for some reason.
Little Dog finished tying her, then gagged her. He was smiling as he watched her struggling against her bonds.
He liked that she was helpless before him.
He liked that she could not fight him or scream now.
His smile broadened even more at the thought. The others were gone, and they would never know. . . .
Abbie realized from the tightness of her bonds that she would not escape them. She looked up at the warrior, and, in that moment, she saw the evil lust in his expression. Her breath caught in her throat, and she went completely still.
Little Dog reached out and brushed aside the makeshift top Lone Eagle had made for her. With the blanket out of the way, he pushed her ripped blouse down off her shoulders as far as it would go, pawing at her as he did so. He could see the swell of her breasts above her undergarment, and he slipped his hand beneath the chemise to grope her intimately.
Abbie let out a squeal of disgust and tried to twist away from him, but there was no escape. She shuddered as he ran his hands over her, down her hips and thighs, touching her in intimate ways she’d never been touched before. She felt violated and sick. She wanted to fight back, to force him to leave her alone, but it was useless. There was no way she could defend herself, no way she could escape his abuse. She began to cry soundlessly as she prayed for deliverance. She did not know what he might do to her next, and she was terrified.
Little Dog was truly enjoying himself as he tormented the captive. He hated whites with a passion and wanted to do all he could to destroy them. Heat was rising up within him as he continued to fondle the Golden One. The need within him grew ever stronger, so he leaned closer and rubbed himself against her.
A part of him wanted to take the Golden One right then and there.
He wanted to bury himself inside her.
Animal passion was driving him; only the thought of what Crooked Snake would do to him if he did rape her stopped him, turning his passion to fury. With near violent intensity, he thrust himself away from her and got up. In disgust, he stalked away and didn’t look back.
Abbie’s revulsion was so fierce, she couldn’t stop shaking as she watched him go. She could only wait there in misery to see what was going to happen to her next.
Little Dog returned to where he’d left their horses to wait for the others to come back. He was surprised when they showed up rather quickly, and he realized then what trouble he would have been in if he’d given in to his need for the Golden One.
“You have bound her well? You are certain she will not get away?” Crooked Snake asked.
“She will be here when we return,” Little Dog said with confidence.
“Good. Then it is time,” Crooked Snake said.
Little Dog quickly mounted up to ride with them.
Lone Eagle wanted to check on the Golden One, but knew there was no time.
With their weapons ready, the raiding party rode for the ranch house.
Having scouted the area before, they knew how many men were working there, and they also knew two women lived on the ranch as well. They moved in close, taking care not to be seen. They needed the element of surprise on their side, and they had it. They launched their attack suddenly, catching the workers completely off guard. They brutally slaughtered most of the ranch hands as they tried to run for cover.
At the first sound of gunfire, Ellie Gray and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Caroline, were shocked to see a raiding party attacking. They ran for the house, hoping to get their guns and fight off the attackers.
“Hurry!” Ellie screamed to Caroline.
They raced inside, shutting and barring the door behind them. Neither spoke. They had always feared something like this might happen—and now it had.
Ellie prayed for help to come, but k
new it was unlikely. Her husband, John, and most of their men were on a trail drive and not due back for several more days. They had only themselves to rely on, and, after they’d witnessed the cold-blooded slaughter of the few hands who’d been there, that prospect was frightening.
Black Cloud and Little Dog saw the women flee into the house, and they went after them.
Ellie and Caroline heard gunfire still erupting outside, and they were relieved to know that at least a few of the men had survived the initial attack.
“Get the windows!” Ellie ordered, wanting to make sure none of the raiding party could get into the house. She didn’t know how long they could hold the attackers off, but they had to try.
Caroline ran to shutter the windows while her mother got rifles down from the gun rack, took their handguns from the locked desk drawer, and gathered up whatever ammunition she could find. They were going to need it—all of it.
Ellie gave Caroline a rifle and a handgun when she returned to join her. She took one of each for herself. They carried all the ammunition with them and took up positions at the two windows at the front of the house.
“How many Apache were there?” Ellie asked.
“I only saw three,” Caroline answered, “but from the sound of all the gunfire there could have been more—a lot more.”
“What about the men? Do you know how many of them made it to the stable or out to the bunkhouse?”
“No.”
Mother and daughter shared a look of pain at the knowledge that many of the men who worked for them were dead.
They turned back to face the reality of what was happening outside. Gunfire was still going on down by the stable. Ellie and Caroline couldn’t see any of the fighting now, but they could see the bodies of at least two of their men, lying unmoving in the dirt.
Then suddenly it went eerily quiet outside.
A chill of terror went through the two women.
“Be ready,” Ellie warned, instinctively tightening her grip on the rifle she was holding.
They were as ready as they could be to fight off the Apache, but when they smelled smoke, their terror grew still greater.
“What’s burning?”
“I don’t know.” Caroline ran to check the back of the house. “It’s not the house.”
“Yet.”
Their gazes met, and they knew that even though they were safe for the moment, the house would be next. Unless help came, their fate was sealed.
Crooked Snake watched in satisfaction as the stable went up in flames. They’d already run off the stock and were now ready to go after the women.
“Black Cloud, it is time. Set fire to the back of the house.”
Black Cloud understood Crooked Snake’s plan. They would force the women to flee the burning house and take them captive as they ran outside. He hurried off to start the fire.
Inside, Ellie and Caroline waited tensely to see what would happen next, but they didn’t have to wait long. They heard noises at the back of the house, and then their worst fear came into being. Smoke began to billow into the house as the fire grew.
“What are we going to do?” Caroline was hysterical.
“There’s only one thing we can do—we’ve got to try to make a run for it.”
“Where are we going to run to? What if they’ve set everything else on fire, too?”
“We don’t have any choice. We have to get out of the house while we still can. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
They had heard the stories of what happened to women who were taken by the Apache, and they knew it would be terrible, but they had no choice. To stay in the house meant certain death. Smoke and heat were already filling the room.
“I love you, Caroline,” Ellie told her daughter, taking her in her arms for one last, deeply emotional embrace.
“I love you, too, Mama,” Caroline said, crying.
“Take your handgun. At least we can get off some shots while we’re running. And Caroline . . .”
Her daughter looked over at her, hearing the grave tone of her voice.
“No matter what happens, you keep running. Don’t worry about me. Don’t worry about anything but saving yourself. Do you understand me?” She pierced her daughter with a serious look.
“Yes, Mama.” The words were choked from her.
“All right. Let’s go—and remember, don’t look back!”
They could wait no longer. The smoke and heat were overpowering.
Ellie threw open the door and ran out of the house, gun in hand, firing as she went.
“Run, Caroline! Run!” she shouted, leading the way from their burning home.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The warriors were waiting as the two women escaped the burning house. Black Cloud and Little Dog had hidden alongside the building, and they ran after the fleeing women.
Caroline caught sight of the warriors first and screamed. She turned and tried to fire her gun at them, but Black Cloud was too quick. He threw himself at her, knocking her to the ground. The gun flew from her grip.
“Caroline!”
Ellie had told her daughter not to stop running no matter what happened, but that didn’t apply to her. There was no way she could abandon Caroline to the savages. Desperate to try to rescue her, Ellie turned and began shooting. She heard one of the Apache yell out in pain and hoped it was because her bullet had found its mark. She was so intent on trying to save Caroline that she didn’t see Lone Eagle.
Lone Eagle had circled around behind the woman and went after her quickly. She screamed when he grabbed her and tore the gun from her hand.
Both of the females fought to get away, but they were no match for the power of the warriors.
When Abbie had heard the gunfire so close by, she’d been shocked. She’d fought violently against the ropes that bound her, but knew it was useless. There was no way she would ever break free. All she could do was lie there and imagine what horrors were being played out somewhere nearby.
Abbie despised her captors. The memory of what had just transpired a short while before left her feeling filthy and degraded. As much as she hated the renegades, though, she realized that if they were killed in this raid, she would never be found. She would be left there alone, bound and gagged, to die. She was torn by conflicting feelings. She didn’t want to hope for the warriors’ return, and yet, the thought of dying there all alone was horrifying.
Abbie stared at the rocks that surrounded her. She was hot, miserable, despairing.
She had thought her existence couldn’t get any worse.
And then she saw the rattlesnake slowly winding its way in her direction.
Abbie went completely still. She was helpless to do anything except pray that the snake didn’t strike.
Lone Eagle and Little Dog rounded up the additional horses they needed to transport the women, while Crooked Snake and Black Cloud bound the captives and got them ready to ride. They forced the struggling females onto the horses and then rode away from the still-smoldering ruins of the ranch house and outbuildings, back to where they’d left the Golden One.
Ellie and Caroline were crying as they got what they feared might be their last look at what had been their home. They could see the bodies of the murdered cowhands and were filled with rage and sorrow. Ellie looked at her daughter and gave thanks that she hadn’t been killed. As long as they were alive, there was hope.
“It was good that we raided the ranch,” Crooked Snake said to the others, looking over the women they had just taken. He was certain they would bring a high price.
“Let us get the Golden One and cover many miles today,” Black Cloud said. He suspected there were more men who worked for the ranch and feared they might try to come after the women once they discovered the ranch had been raided.
“You are right,” Little Dog agreed.
They picked up their pace on their way to claim their other captive.
Lone Eagle was anxious to get back to the Golden One. Altho
ugh Little Dog had said that he’d made sure she was tightly bound and wouldn’t be able to get away, Lone Eagle wanted to make sure nothing had happened to her while they’d been gone.
At the sound of horses coming, Abbie was shocked to find she was almost relieved that the raiding party was back. But she had little time to think about her confusing emotions. Just then the rattlesnake that had curled up under a rock nearby emerged from its hiding place and began to move.
The warriors reined in close to the place where the Golden One had been left. Lone Eagle dismounted and went to get her as Black Cloud prepared her horse. There was no time to waste. They had to put as many miles as they could between themselves and the ranch before sundown.
Abbie was nervous. She wasn’t sure which one of the warriors would be coming for her. If the one who’d abused her earlier showed up, she wasn’t going to reveal anything about the snake. If the rattler struck him, she would be glad. He deserved that—and more.
Only when Abbie saw it was the other warrior coming to get her did she worry about how she could warn him. Fearful of being bitten herself, she didn’t dare make any sudden moves. Instead she called out to him in grunting sounds to alert him as she nodded in the direction of the rattler.
Lone Eagle had been concentrating only on getting the Golden One back on her horse as quickly as possible, but he realized something was wrong by the way she was acting as he came upon her. He spotted the snake just as it was about to strike, and in one quick, smooth, accurate move, he drew his knife and threw it, killing the rattler instantly.
Abbie’s eyes were wide with amazement as she looked up at the warrior. When the rattlesnake had prepared to strike, she’d feared that one or both of them would be bitten, but he’d killed it with one unerring strike.
“You did it,” she gasped, once he’d knelt down beside her and removed her gag.
As she was speaking, Little Dog came running over. He had seen the way Lone Eagle had reacted, throwing his knife so quickly, and thought he had thrown it at the captive. When he got close enough, he could see that the Golden One was unharmed and talking, and he was puzzled by Lone Eagle’s actions.
