by Lynn Landes
Cassie is shocked, but not sorry to hear that. “Aiden, even if I could give you the deed, I wouldn’t. You have no right to it! It belongs to the bank now. I sold it to them in San Francisco, but surely you know that?”
Aiden looks at the ceiling and tries to calm the rage that is building inside. Even now his men should be moving through the ranch, eliminating most of the threats to them. He smiles as he looks back at her. “It seems you haven’t heard the news. The bank met with an unfortunate accident. It seems they had an accident with a nitroglycerin delivery. It blew up half of Market Street!”
Her shocked eyes look at Dalton, and she speaks to his mind, ‘Not Mr. Wells?'
“Oh, Don't worry it was a fast death for those unlucky bastards. But you see, that means no paperwork. No proof that your mine was ever sold. You sign it over to me, and you can continue your life, here.” Aiden promises.
“What good is the promise of a butcher?” Dalton asks. “You will get nothing from my wife.”
Aiden stares at her and the smile of love that appears when she looks at her husband. She holds up her hand and shows him her ring as she walks towards him. “It seems you aren’t the only one with surprises, Aiden. Where are the men you brought with you?”
His calm demeanor changes in an instant. Gone is the serene businessman as his lips snarl, and he screams at her. “You will give me what I came for, one way or another. I will make you watch as I kill them all and then I will make you suffer like your mother did!”
Her sudden intake of breath is all Dalton needs, and he attacks. He is pulled back by Harris and his father as Cassie steps aside. “This creature came here to kill my wife and our family, all for Gold? Let me go!” he screams and pulls at the hands holding him back.
Aiden laughs and spits blood from his split mouth. “What? Too soon to talk about it, Cassie. Your mother was a fighter, just like you! I was not happy when she died so quickly. I wanted to savor her like I will you.”
Cassie stomps over to Aiden. He looks up at her, and she smiles. “You are so bold now, but will you be when I'm finished with you? I will ask you one more time, where are the men you came with?” Hatred fills her heart as she looks down at him.
“What men? I don't know what you're talking about?” he leers at her.
“I was hoping you would say that.” She places a hand on each side of his face and closes her eyes.
“What are you…” he starts to say, but she takes control of his mind. Her head flies back, and she screams in her mind as she filters past the vile, disgusting things he has done and takes the information they need. She seizes his voice box in her mind and ruptures it, quieting his revolting thoughts and words, momentarily silencing him.
When she drops her hands, she rushes into Dalton’s arm and immediately feels him with her in her mind. His love washes away the horror and fills her with peace. “I can tell you where they are, but we don’t have much time.”
The first shot sounds out, and Aiden stares at them in horror. He tries to speak, but no sound comes out.
Cassie ignores him as she screams, “We’re too late!”
Aiden struggles violently against his ropes.
“Trust me, Cassie. Everything is under control. Let’s go.” Dalton cuts Aiden’s ropes while Dane keeps a pistol trained on him. They march him through the house into the sunny yard in front of the ranch while Cassie follows.
Aiden looks around still trying to figure out what is happening. He tries to scream, but he is unable to make a sound! The sun is high, and in the center of the yard, the Bloody Bill Gang is kneeling on their knees, bloodied, beaten and tied up. Gagged they can't speak, they can only watch as Aiden is shoved to the ground in front of them.
They are surrounded by The River’s family and ranch hands. The Shoshone Indians had come to the aid of the family who shelters them and for vengeance of the Cheyenne who were massacred.
Cassie is stunned. “How did you do this?” Dalton smiles at her.
“I told you, he would never hurt you again. I meant it. Now let’s finish this.” He turns away and joins his brothers.
“Your fate has been decided. The Bloody Bill gang is free to go, with no weapons of course.” Pierce brings the horses they found tied up and gives the Cherokee horses to Chief Nashoba. Four of the horses they rode in on are brought forward and each of the men, searched before they are thrown on them. Cole is draped across the back of his pony, but his hands are cut free.
“Steele, damn man! What did you hit him with a moose tranquilizer?” Harris asks with a groan as he shoves the man up onto his horse.
Bill watches in disbelief, “You really expect us to believe that we are free to go?”
“We will never survive without weapons!” John snarls.
“My suggestion to you is to ride hard and fast to the mountains, and don't stop!” Dane replies with a grin as he ties the scalps to Cole's horse. He makes sure to wrap the rope tight around Coles saddle pommel, so it will be complicated to get off without a knife.
Cassie grips Dalton’s arm. She can’t believe he is just letting them go!
“Go, Bill! I will catch up with you, shortly,” Aiden says as he finds his voice returning.
Bill nods and taking the reins of Cole's horse he rides off, followed quickly by the other men. Four riders leave, and Aiden looks down at Frank's dead face and sighs. “One less person to pay, I suppose.” He murmurs rubbing his wrists.
“Well, now, Dalton Rivers. I must say I didn't think you had it in you. I personally would have just shot them all dead. That's mighty kind of you to free them,” Aiden says with a cracked hoarse voice.
“Kind. They are only free until they step off our land. The moment they do the Cheyenne will find them. I imagine they won't make it to the river before they are captured,” Dalton replies.
Aiden's eyes flash for a minute when he thinks of Bill being tortured by the Indians, and at that moment he knows he will not survive. Good thing he was prepared for this. Aiden pats his pocket and pulls out a bag of tobacco and papers, “Do you mind if I have a smoke?”
No one speaks as he rolls and lights his cigarette. He inhales deep savoring the flavor of the rough cut tobacco one last time. He tosses the cigarette, and all eyes follow it, and in that moment she sees his plan.
Everything seems to happen in slow motion. Cassie screams as Aiden tears open his shirt revealing the sticks of dynamite strapped to his body. He is holding his still lit match and grinning.
Everyone freezes. A small motion of his hand will ignite them and blow the surrounding group to a bloody pulp.
“Look familiar, Cassandra? Now you're going to give her to me, with a horse, or I am going to kill us all!” Aiden says in a low, hoarse voice.
Cassie steps toward Aiden, no longer thinking of herself, but all the people who will die if she doesn’t do what he demands.
“No!” Dalton snarls.
Cassie is weeping as she steps down the front porch towards him and his eyes show glee. He reaches for her and his body jerks as his head explodes in a spray of bone and blood. A sharp crack boom of the bullet's passage follows, and Dalton has Cassie in his arms as Aiden's dead body falls to the dirt. The lit match falls and burns out as everyone tries to determine where the shot came from.
From a small hill two hundred yards away, Solomon sighs. “It’s done.” He opens his Sharps carbine rifles breach and pulls the still warm cartridge from it. In a smooth, familiar motion, he slides the well-worn weapon into the sheath on his horse’s saddle and mounts up. Solomon rides towards the ranch at a trot and slows as he enters the main yard and finds all weapons trained on him.
Dalton lowers his gun and smiles. “Solomon?” he asks in disbelief.
Solomon smiles, “Thought you might need some help. Sorry about the mess, but he didn’t seem to be backing down.” He dismounts and shakes hands with Dalton.
Cassie hugs him through her tears and tries not to look at the body. “Thank you!”
“Now you are truly free, Mrs. Rivers,” he replies.
Dane calls to Dalton motioning for him to join him with the Chief.
“Give me a minute, Solomon. I have to thank the Shoshone.” Dalton thanks the chief while Cassie stares in shock around her. The two bodies are being removed by the ranch hands, and the Indians are leaving for their village. They must prepare for their trip to the winter festival. She's too stunned to think, and Solomon guides her to the porch to sit in a rocking chair.
“Thank you, Solomon. He was going to kill us all, even if I did what he wanted. I saw it all.” The trembling starts, and she buries her head in her hands, and Dalton returns with his father and brothers.
“Solomon you will forgive me, but I need to be alone with my wife. Please, feel free to stay with us.” Dalton picks up Cassie and doesn’t wait for an answer as he leaves for his small cabin while she buries her face in his neck and sobs.
“What does she mean she saw it all?” Solomon asks after Dalton leaves.
Dane sighs, “Come on inside. You can tell us your story, and we will tell you ours. I need a whiskey.”
Everyone laughs and moves inside all stunned by what almost happened. They all know how close they came to being killed.
Inside the small sanctuary of their cabin, Cassie can’t stop crying. Dalton holds her quietly in the chair by the fireplace and waits for the storm to pass. “It’s over now? Right? I am free?” she asks against his chest.
“Yes, babe. You're free, they will never hurt you again.” He says, squeezing her tight against his heart.
Cassie falls asleep in his arms, and he tucks her into the bed. Looking down on her he can't help but drop to his knees by the bed and thank his heavenly father for protecting them today. He throws another piece of wood on the fire and steps quietly from the cabin and heads back to the main lodge.
When he walks inside, he finds his father, mother and brothers all with Solomon.
“How is she?” his mother asks.
“She's sleeping now,” he answers pouring a glass of whiskey.
“I don’t know how she survived such evil for so long without breaking?” his father wonders.
“Oh, she broke alright, but that's the most amazing part about her. Cassie picked up the pieces of her broken heart and found a way to keep moving forward. She chose to live, and I will never be able to thank my father for guiding her to me,” he replies hoarsely and sits down hard.
Solomon smiles at his new friend. He feels Faith pulling him home, and he knows he must go soon. “You are one lucky man.”
Dalton grins at his family, and he sees his father pull his mother close, and his smile grows larger. “Yes, I am. Now what in the world are you doing here?” he demands needing answers.
“I guess you didn't get my telegram?” Over dinner, Solomon tells them his story. He tells them of the town, of the murder of Eustace and how Aiden had left a trail of dead across the state of California. “Such evil must be not be allowed to roam free. I did what I came to do. Your Cassie is not the only person he has been tormenting.”
After hearing the story of Faith and Hope, Solomon asks if he can stay for a few days to rest and let the snow melt. In the meantime, Pierce volunteered to ride to town and send a telegram to his family, to let them know he is alive and on his way home.
“Stay as long as you like, Solomon. You saved us all today.” Dane replies. The housekeeper readies his room, and he smiles at them before he crashes falling instantly asleep.
Cassie sleeps, and she is an eagle again. Soaring through the winter sky. Below her, she sees four men on horseback riding fast for the mountains. Rage fills her heart at the thought of them escaping, she dips lower, and that's when she sees it. The Shoshone are following them waiting for the moment they leave the River's property. Terrified, the men push their horses harder for a small mountain ridge. If they can make it, they might escape.
They do not know what is waiting for them on the other side of the ridge, a group of Cheyenne warriors. She spreads her wings and calls out catching an updraft with her wings and soars away. Cassie does not have to watch them die to know they will not escape. She is truly free…
Her eyes open and she is alone. How will she face his family knowing she almost got them all killed?
‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ Dalton’s voice comes to her mind.
She hears him stomp the snow from his boots outside and the cabin door opens, bringing with it a brisk winter wind. A smile forms in her heart and she hears her family whisper of love, hope, and faith.
“No more tears, Cassie. Tonight, we start our life together. Will you dare to dream with me?” he demands moving to the bed with his hand out. She rises to her knees, with tears threatening and she grabs his hand like a lifeline.
“I will, Dalton.”
Epilogue
Two weeks later, Solomon is standing outside the small house which houses the post office and telegraph office in his Texas hometown. He didn't stop to visit his family, he needs to see Faith and Hope. When he opens the door, and the bell rings, a man comes out from the back room.
“Can I help you, sir?” he asks.
Confusion filters through Solomon’s mind for a moment. “I am looking for Faith?”
“I'm sorry she left two weeks ago,” the man answers. Fear crosses his face when he sees the look on the larger man's face.
“Where did she go?” he demands.
“I, I don’t know. She didn’t say.” His voice trembles and Solomon storms out and thunders to his family ranch.
She left? Why would she leave? Damn contrary woman. His mother steps outside when she hears a horse. Tears cloud her eyes. They’d received his telegram but seeing him alive is too much. “Solomon,” she weeps when he hugs her tight. Soon he is surrounded by crying females and his father's booming laugh sounds.
“About time, you came home, boy! Give the man some air.” His mother and sisters laugh and back up. He grabs his son and hugs him hard, pounding him on the back.
“Thank you, sir. I’m not so easily killed.” Exhausted and frustrated he looks at his mother and asks what he has been desperate to know.
“Where’s Faith?”
“Girls, go check on the bread for me, please.” After they leave, she turns to him and sighs. “I tried to talk her into staying with us, Solomon. When we thought you were dead…” her voice breaks, and he takes her hand. “It was horrible, and she was heartbroken. I think being here near us would have been too much for her.”
“Son, your telegram came after she was gone.” His father explains.
Solomon sits hard and thinks. “Where is she?”
“She moved to Corpus Christi, said she found a house. You should clean up and rest first…” but he has already turned and stomped out of the house.
His father laughs at the sound of his mother’s sigh. “He gets that from you!” she murmurs with a smile and kisses her husband.
“Wild horses wouldn’t keep me from you, either.”
Solomon rides hard and fast through his ranch. For weeks he has thought of nothing but her and the baby, only to come home to find her gone! Exhaustion beats at him, but he is desperate to see them. Three days later he rides into Corpus Christi and stops for directions. Of course, she would head towards the beach. When he turns in the lane, he decides to surprise her. He stops his horse and ties him to a tree, then walks slowly towards the small white cottage. It's a well taken care of house with a small porch and two windows. He smiles as excitement fills his mind.
He knocks on the door and to his surprise, he gets no answer. He knocks harder and still nothing. Where in the world could she be? He tries the door, but it’s locked, so he peeks in the windows. Empty.
Grumbling, he stomps down the steps and looks around the front yard, before trying the back. He walks around the side of the house and finds her coming out of a small root cellar. Her red hair glistens against the cold gray bleakness of winter. She is dressed in a black dress, for mournin
g and doesn't notice him. In her arms, she is carrying a few glass jars, and she kicks the cellar door closed.
Faith catches movement out of the corner of her eye, and she stills. She left the rifle inside while she came out back. When she turns towards the shape, she freezes for a second not quite believing what she's seeing. Her mouth opens as if to speak, but no sound comes out. Then she is flying towards him, glass jars fall heedlessly to the ground, and he meets her halfway.
“There's my girl!” he lifts her into his arms, and she sobs his name out.
“Solomon!”
He smiles down at her, and his pent-up desire hits him. He claims her mouth with a hunger that only she can fill. Her arms wrap around his neck, and her hands knock the cowboy hat from his head. She fists her hands in his long hair, and he can taste the salty sweetness of her tears. Her body is shaking in his arms, and she sobs out his name against his mouth.
“Everything will be okay now, Faith. I told you nothing would keep me away from my girls. I’ve come home to you as ordered.”
“Tell me you will never leave again, Solomon? Tell me this isn’t a dream?” she demands through her tears.
“No more dreams, life with you will be better than any dream.” Solomon leads her inside.
After a few days sleep, the couple returns home to San Antonio, where they are married with his entire family in attendance. Baby Hope is christened as his daughter and Faith continues to paint.
A few months later, Solomon gets a package from Dalton and Cassie with a letter. Inside is a beautiful antique mirror.
Dear Solomon and Faith,
Please accept this small token as a thank you for all you have done for us. If you are ever in need of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. You are always welcome to the River's Ranch. Our gratitude can never be enough. You saved us when our dreams were in the dust, and we will never forget it.
Eternally yours,
