Savage Winter

by Constance O'Banyon

  “I told you to take your hands off me! Windhawk will kill you for touching me!”

  Jim hesitated a moment. Just the mention of Windhawk’s name was enough to make the bravest man feel fear. “There ain’t no such man as Windhawk! Don’t you think I know that?”

  “You will know it when he plunges his knife into your black heart,” she spat, struggling to gain her release.

  His arms tightened, and he pulled her against him. Joanna renewed her struggling, but he stuck out his foot and tripped her, sending them both falling to the ground. Jim landed on top of Joanna, and she felt pain shoot through her body. For the moment, she couldn’t breathe. Feeling his hands pushing her gown upward, she tried to throw him off.

  His coarse laughter sounded next to her ear. “You’re a regular little wildcat! I like my women with a lot of vinegar. I’m going to enjoy getting at you.”

  Joanna wrenched her arm out of his grasp and swung wide, catching him across the face with a hard blow.

  Jim grabbed his stinging cheek and uttered a loud oath. Joanna recognized the danger to herself when she saw his eyes narrow angrily.

  “You bitch!” he yelled as he doubled up his fist and caught her beside the temple.

  Pain shot through Joanna’s head, and she began to feel terror. He was stronger than she, and she would have little chance of getting away from him. A whimper escaped her throat as he began pushing her gown upward. She realized that struggle was futile. When he began fumbling with his breeches, Joanna used her last bit of strength to bring her knees up and catch him in the groin.

  Again he mumbled an oath, but by now his anger was unbounded. His hands were biting into her tender flesh as he jerked her under him. Joanna closed her eyes, too weak to move. Her mind cried out against what was about to happen to her.

  “Damn you, Jim!” Chester bellowed out, seeing what his brother was about. He ran forward like a charging bull and knocked Jim away from Joanna.

  Jim landed in a mud puddle, but scrambled quickly to his feet. “I’ll kill you for that, Chester!” he hissed as he raced toward his brother with murder in his heart.

  Chester was quicker than his brother and side-stepped him, while bringing the butt of his rifle down against his skull. Jim went limp and fell heavily to the ground to lie motionless.

  Joanna sprang to her feet, staring at the blood that trickled down Jim’s head mixing with the rainwater. “Is…he…dead?” she asked.

  Chester turned to her for a moment. “No, but he oughta be. Are you hurt?”

  Joanna placed her hands on her hips. “Why should you care? I feel sorry for you and your brother because you haven’t long to live.”

  Chester bent over and hoisted his fallen brother onto his shoulders. “Don’t bother to threaten me with the mythical Windhawk again, ’cause it won’t work!”

  “It’s no threat, Mr. Boggs. It’s a reality.” Joanna could see by the look on Chester’s face that he didn’t really believe her, but there was a hint of fear in his eyes, just the same. Her last hope was to play on his fear.

  “Your days are numbered. It would be well if you would watch your back. There is nowhere you can go to escape Windhawk’s wrath!”

  Chester turned his back so Joanna couldn’t see if her words had met their mark. “If that’s the case, we won’t stay around here any longer. One more week and we will be at Fort Union. I think if your imagined savior does exist, he’ll have a hard time facing the armed men at the fort.”

  Joanna watched the heavy rain fall to the ground. Even Windhawk couldn’t find her with the rain washing their trail away. She began to wonder just what would await her when they reached the fort. Something wasn’t right. Surely, Harland would never have sent these two despicable men for her. Try as she might, Joanna couldn’t understand what was going on. She knew it would do no good to question Chester, because he would tell her nothing.

  She felt a deep ache in her heart. In spite of her anger at Windhawk, she found herself wishing he would come for her. I need you, Windhawk! she cried out silently. Please find me!

  Chapter Nine

  Claudia walked across the compound, lifting the skirt of her gown so it wouldn’t get muddy. It had been raining for days, and the gloomy weather seemed to fit her mood. She was finding out that being married to Howard was not all she had hoped it would be. He never spoke a civil word to her. The only time he paid her the slightest attention was at night when they went to bed. He had cursed and abused her, and she wondered if it had all been worth it.

  He had threatened her more than once by telling her she would be on her own when they reached Philadelphia. She was determined that he wouldn’t cast her aside so easily—no, not yet.

  She had silently endured his kisses and his fumbling hands. When he took her body, she felt as if she was more than repaying him for any injury he might have suffered to his pride. If she had used him, wasn’t he now using her?

  Oh, no, Howard Landon, you will not get rid of me, she thought to herself. Like it or not, I’m your wife. She stepped across a mud puddle and walked up the wooden steps. Claudia had stalled as long as she could. There was nothing for her to do but return to the quarters she shared with her husband.

  She knew Howard would either be drunk or off with some of the trappers gambling. She was appalled at the amount of money he lost at cards. Claudia lived for the day when they would go to Philadelphia so she could shop for new clothing. Her head was filled with visions of the beautiful gowns she would buy. She would have a gown for every occasion—with shoes and hats to match. Claudia remembered the beautiful, expensive gowns Joanna had worn. Soon, she too, would have all she wanted, and more.

  When Claudia reached the door of their quarters, she stopped dead in her tracks. Howard was gazing out the window at her, and the look he gave her chilled her to the bone. Her hand trembled as she opened the door.

  “Where have you been?” he thundered. “Strutting around showing off your wares? Bet you didn’t get any takers,” he taunted.

  “What would you care?” she asked, removing her gloves and noticing they needed mending again.

  “I don’t care. You can go to hell for that matter. I wouldn’t lose a moment’s sleep if you were to descend into hell right before my eyes.”

  “When I get there, I have a feeling you will be the first one to greet me.”

  “Slut!” he bellowed.

  “Bastard!” she countered.

  Howard moved quickly across the room and grabbed a handful of her hair. Claudia closed her eyes, waiting for the blow to fall, but a rap on the door stayed Howard’s hand, and he pushed her roughly aside to answer it.

  Joanna pushed Jim Boggs’s hand away from her waist while she waited for Captain Thatcher to answer Chester’s knock on the door. She was ready to give Harland a piece of her mind, rehearsing mentally what she would say. She watched the door open, expecting to see Harland. Joanna swallowed hard and felt her knees go weak at the sight of her Uncle Howard’s face!

  Dear Lord, don’t let this be happening! Let this be a dream from which I will awaken! she cried silently as she gazed into the beady eyes that she had thought never to see again. Joanna felt the ground come up and hit her in the face as she lapsed into unconsciousness.

  Howard rushed forward, pushing Chester Boggs away from Joanna. Bending down, he lifted her tenderly into his arms. His eyes were bright and shining, and the blood was pumping in his veins. At last, after two long years of pure hell, he had Joanna back!

  Carrying her into the room, Howard laid her on the bed and stared down at her. He had forgotten how lovely she was. His eyes rested on her red-gold hair, and he felt his heart tighten. Never in his wildest dream had he imagined he would get her back! He had so many plans for her that he couldn’t wait to get her back to Philadelphia.

  Claudia came up beside Howard and stared at her old enemy with malignant eyes. She watched her husband gently push a tumbled red-gold curl from Joanna’s face. It didn’t matter that she didn’t l
ove Howard, jealousy still burned in her heart, knowing he favored Joanna over her. Claudia flicked the fringe of Joanna’s gown with her finger. “She’s dressed like an Indian,” she spit out.

  “No matter,” Howard said, in a tender voice that she had never heard him use before. “I will soon have her gowned in silks and velvets, as she should be.”

  Hatred burned anew within Claudia’s breast. Howard hadn’t allowed her any money to buy new gowns, yet he was talking about dressing Joanna in grand style.

  Howard pushed Claudia aside and faced the two brothers. “Where’s the boy?”

  Chester shook his head. “The boy didn’t come with her. There weren’t no way we could get our hands on him. The girl said he wasn’t in the Blackfoot village.”

  Howard’s eyes burned into Chester’s for a moment. He had wanted them both, but he knew that if he took Joanna back to Philadelphia, sooner or later Tag would show up. “No matter, you have done well by bringing my niece to me. Meet me at the common room tonight, and I’ll pay you.”

  “Why don’t you just pay us now, and we’ll be on our way,” Jim stated.

  Howard eyed the younger brother shrewdly. “First, I want to speak to my niece. If either of you has laid a hand on her, it won’t be money you’ll be getting from me.” Howard looked at Jim Boggs and watched as the man dropped his eyes. “As I said, meet me in the common room later, and we will discuss what your payment will be.”

  Jim’s eyes remained downcast when his brother took his arm. “We’ll see you tonight then, Mr. Landon. You’ll find your niece has been untouched.”

  When the two brothers went outside, Chester removed his hat and struck his brother across the face with it. “See, what did I tell you? If I hadn’t stopped you from messing with the girl, we wouldn’t get nothing. If you had succeeded, Mr. Landon wouldn’t have to kill you, I’d a done it myself.”

  Claudia watched Howard sit down on the bed and pick up Joanna’s hand.

  “What about me, Howard? If I hadn’t helped, you would never have gotten Joanna back.”

  Howard was feeling unusually jovial. “I haven’t forgotten the part you played in this, Claudia. I also haven’t forgotten the trick you played on me. But I am prepared to be generous with you, all the same. I will take you to Philadelphia and see that you have a small house, nothing elaborate, you understand. My attorney will see to an annulment, and we will see the last of each other.”

  “If you think I will settle for a mere pittance, you are sadly mistaken. You are a wealthy man, and you can afford to set me up in style. I won’t allow you to cast me aside like so much extra baggage. You may have been forced to marry me, but you are my husband, nonetheless.”

  Howard laughed deeply. “My God, you are a fool! What would you think if I were to tell you I don’t have two pennies of my own to rub together?”

  “I would say you are lying,” Claudia replied, staring at Howard suspiciously.

  “Do you think so? Why don’t you ask Joanna when she regains consciousness? She will tell you that all the money belongs to her and Tag. I doubt that she will be willing to share any part of it with you.” His eyes gleamed at the joke on Claudia. “Since you claim to be such good friends with Joanna, why don’t you ask her for all the money you want?”

  Claudia sank down on a chair. Her face had lost its color, and she felt as if she were going to be sick. “What are you saying?” she said through parched lips, fearing he was telling the truth.

  Howard threw back his head and laughed loudly. “I’m saying, Claudia, that I am only Tag and Joanna’s legal guardian until Tag reaches his twenty-first birthday. At one time, I spent six months in Newgate prison in England because I couldn’t pay my debts.”

  Claudia ground her teeth together. “I had envisioned you living in a grand house with servants waiting on you. I don’t get the impression that you are poverty-stricken.”

  “Oh, the house is there all right, and so are the servants, but they aren’t mine. They work for Tag and Joanna. I am merely the custodian.”

  “I’m beginning to see why you wanted Tag and Joanna back so badly. You were afraid you would lose everything. That’s the reason, isn’t it?”

  “And so I still might, Claudia. As you heard the man say, Tag will not be coming.”

  “How…much money do you get?”

  Howard smiled, enjoying the joke on Claudia. “I get enough to run the house and buy a few doodads. Nothing on a grand scale, you understand. You see, the business and the bulk of the estate is tied up in Taggart’s name. Joanna will come into a small fortune on her twenty-first birthday, but I don’t think she will be wanting to give it to you or me.”

  “You tricked me!” she cried. “You allowed me to think you were very wealthy. I can’t believe it was all a front. Why did you let me think you had money?”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Who tricked whom, Claudia? I don’t recall discussing my financial affairs with you or anybody else.”

  Joanna began to stir, and Howard turned his attention to her. He watched her eyes slowly open, and he hated the fear he saw in the violet-colored depths when they focused on his face.

  “Hello, Joanna,” he said, picking up her hand.

  She tried to speak, but her tongue seemed to be rooted to the roof of her mouth.

  “I know what you are feeling. I’m not going to hurt you. I am prepared to forgive you for running away. Before long, we shall be on our way home.”

  “I don’t understand,” she whispered. “I thought Harland…had I known you…”

  “Shh, don’t talk now. Just rest. I’m going to see about getting you something to eat, then you can bathe and get out of those awful clothes.”

  Joanna was too confused to reply, so she silently watched as he crossed the room and left. She was further astonished when she recognized Claudia standing near the foot of the bed.

  “Claudia, can you tell me what’s happening?”

  The irony of it all hit Claudia full force. “I guess you might say I’m your aunt now, Joanna. Can you imagine anything so ludicrous? Forgive me if I don’t insist on you calling me Aunt Claudia.”

  Joanna closed her eyes, hoping to shut out Claudia’s hateful voice. She had no idea what Claudia was talking about, and she didn’t care to find out at the moment. She was too tired and emotionally drained. Her worst nightmare had been realized. She was back in the clutches of her Uncle Howard! From what he’d implied, he was taking her back to Philadelphia, and there didn’t seem to be anything she could do about it.

  Somehow, this all tied in with the letter she had gotten from Harland. She now knew he hadn’t written the letter at all. What a fool she had been to go forward so trustfully, like a lamb being led to the slaughter!

  Farley left Colonel Jackson’s office looking puzzled. There was something not right here. The colonel had said Captain Thatcher had left Fort Leavenworth less than a week ago, heading for Fort Union. Farley had gotten that information without revealing his purpose for asking. Colonel Jackson had also told him that Joanna’s uncle had been there a while back and had been asking for information about Joanna and Tag.

  Mounting his horse, he rode out the fort gates, heading for the other side of the river. If Captain Harland Thatcher had been at Leavenworth when Joanna disappeared, then where was Joanna?

  In less than an hour, he crossed the river and rode into the camp where Windhawk and Gray Fox were waiting for him. Before he could dismount, Windhawk came up beside him with hope in his dark eyes.

  “Did you see Joanna, old man?”

  “No, she has not been to the fort,” Farley said, dismounting and scratching his shaggy white head.

  “She did not come here with the long knife?” Windhawk asked.

  “No, and here the story gets stranger. Captain Thatcher couldn’t have met Joanna like the letter said. He was here at Fort Leavenworth at the time she disappeared.”

  “Do you know this for a fact?” Gray Fox asked. “Perhaps someone did not tell you
the truth.”

  “The man who told me would not lie. He and his wife are good friends of Joanna’s.”

  Windhawk turned his back and walked down to the river. When Farley would have followed him, Gray Fox motioned for him to stay.

  “Allow him to be alone for a time. He is feeling pain and would not like you or me to witness it.”

  “I have been trying to think what to do. Colonel Jackson said something that bothers me a great deal,” Farley stated, speaking in perfect Blackfoot.

  “What is that, old man?”

  “He said that Joanna’s uncle was here a few weeks back searching for her—he went on to Fort Union. Since then, Captain Thatcher was mustered out of the army and was heading for Fort Union as well.”

  “You must tell this to Windhawk, but not now. It will be soon enough to tell him when he returns.”

  Windhawk walked beside the river, not knowing what to do next. If Joanna had not gone away with the long knife, then where was she?

  He picked up the bear-claw necklace he wore about his neck. He had thought Joanna would never take it off again. He looked up at the sky, watching a hawk circle above him. Joanna was somewhere in this world—she was not dead, or he would know it. Where could he look? How could one just disappear without leaving some trace? Closing his eyes, he could see her face so clearly. He could almost hear the sound of her laughter dancing on the soft wind.

  “Why have you done this thing, Joanna? If you no longer want to be my woman, should I give up the search?” No, he would not abandon hope yet.

  Feeling the warm breeze on his face, he closed his eyes. “Twice you have left me, Joanna. The other time, I forgave you; this time, I will not!”

  Windhawk watched the sun setting in the west. It was like a great ball of fire suspended in the heavens. Wherever Joanna was, she could be witnessing the same sunset, he thought.

  “I gave you my love and my heart, Joanna. Did you cast it aside as you did the bear-claw necklace?” he whispered to himself.