Nathan reluctantly slowed the wagon as he entered the outskirts of Peppin. He wanted to rush to the farm so he could show Kate the envelope in his saddlebag. He was sure the check was enough to cover her mortgage payment. In fact it was probably more than she’d ever yielded off a crop before since she’d planted more wheat and hadn’t paid the harvesters.
“Nathan.” He turned to see the deputy wave at him as he passed the sheriff’s office. Nathan nodded in return but didn’t stop to talk. The closer he got to the center of town the busier the streets became and the more often people began to wave at him. He returned their waves at first but soon became thoroughly confused. Why was everyone so happy to see him?
He slowed the wagon and stared more carefully at the next person who waved. He realized they weren’t waving. They were trying to get his attention. He reined in the horses just as Ellie’s voice cried out, “Nathan, stop!”
He turned to see her running after the wagon on the raised wooden sidewalk. He set the brake and jumped down. He rounded the side of the wagon just as she nearly stumbled off the sidewalk. He caught her before she could fall, then guided her into a hug. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she immediately dissolved into tears. “Ellie, what’s wrong?”
Sean and Lawson came to a panting stop in front of him. He glanced past them to search the gathering crowd. “Where’s Kate?”
Sean straightened. “A man took her yesterday while we were at school. He left a note saying we can’t get her back unless you pay him a lot of money.”
Nathan felt the blood drain from his face. Thoughts and feelings rushed through him so quickly that he could hardly grasp any of them. Shock, fear and anger battled for dominance. They were superseded by guilt. He should have known. He should have protected her.
He’d known that Jeremiah was desperate yet the man he knew would never have stooped so low as to harm an innocent woman. That Jeremiah didn’t exist anymore. A stranger had Kate. That stranger might try to hurt her or may have already have done so just to get even with him.
He felt like he was going to be sick. Sean, Ellie and Lawson were waiting for him to say something. He pulled himself together. Kneeling in the dirt in front of them, he set a firm hand on Sean’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “I’m going to find her, do you hear me?”
Sean nodded while his face turned red as he struggled to contain his emotions. Nathan met Lawson’s worried gaze. “I’m going to bring her back.” He turned to capture Ellie’s tear-filled gaze. “I promise.” She nodded causing a large tear to drip from her chin.
He stood to his feet. “I need to talk to Sheriff Hawkins. Do you guys want to ride with me?”
They immediately nodded. The crowd began to disperse. He turned the wagon around in the direction of the sheriff’s office. Minutes later, children sat on top of the deputy’s desk while Nathan sat in the chair across from the sheriff’s. He barely held back a frustrated growl. “Sheriff, I understand you’re just trying to do your job, but it sounds to me like you want me to sit here and twiddle my thumbs while Kate is in danger.”
Sheriff Hawkins’s calm demeanor leaned a little too close to disinterest for his taste. “Nathan, we all want to find Kate, but you must be reasonable.” Nathan watched the sheriff point to the map stretched out on the desk between them. “Here is Peppin. Here is Colston.”
He drew a large circle with his finger. “This is the area where they could be. Notice I said ‘could be’ because they might have taken an alternate route. Even assuming they stayed on one of the main trails, it would still be a guessing game. I can’t authorize a search. There is just too much space to cover. It would be a waste of manpower and supplies. The ransom letter shows me the man won’t harm Kate as long as she remains his bargaining tool.”
The sheriff sat back as if his point had been made. “He gave us four days and that’s plenty enough time to get an operation in the works. We’ll catch him when he comes to town.”
“I don’t care about your operation. Kate needs help now.”
“I understand but—”
“Pardon me, but no, you don’t understand. Your wife is safe at home.”
“Well, yes—”
Nathan placed his Stetson on his head and stood. “I’m going after her.”
“You’re searching for a needle in a haystack.”
“At least I’ll be searching.” Nathan glanced at the children’s satisfied faces and tipped his head toward the door. “Let’s go. I’ll need to get a few thing squared away with Ms. Lettie before I head out.”
“Sheriff, I’d like to apply for a leave of absence.” Deputy Stone’s voice made Nathan pause and turn. He met the deputy’s eyes as the man said, “It seems a friend of mine could use some help.”
The sheriff eyed both of them. “Very well, Deputy. Go if you must. I just don’t think it’ll do any good.”
Nathan shrugged. “Then we’ll make it our mission to prove you wrong, sir.”
Sheriff Hawkins looked at him for a moment then gave a nod. “You do that, son. You do that.”
Kate cupped her berry-stained fingers and brought them to her lips, allowing the cool water to caress her dry throat as she swallowed it. She lay back allowing the sun to beat down on her. Its heat continually stole her energy the way hungry children pilfered bread. She closed her eyes against its glare only to feel a slight burning sensation beneath her lids. She knew it must be from lack of sleep. Perhaps it would be best to rest during the heat of the day and travel when the heat tapered off in the afternoon.
“Lord, were You proving Yourself by letting me escape from Jeremiah?” she whispered though no one was around to hear her. “Or, did you allow me to be abducted to show me I shouldn’t trust Nathan?”
She didn’t want to believe that Jeremiah’s accusations were accurate. Yet she had recognized within his words a disconcerting ring of truth.
Who was Nathan Rutledge? She had felt such an immediate connection with him. She had invited him into her home. She had shared so much of herself. Yet what did she truly know about him? What if the little she knew was really a lie? What if it was an act, covering up the fact that he really was a thief and a murderer?
She covered her face from the glare of the sun but she couldn’t hide from her fears. She’d made mistakes before. What if this time wasn’t any different? Questions roiled through her mind but other memories rose against them. The sound of his voice as he read their family Bible every evening. Nathan kneeling in the dirt to comfort Sean and Ellie. Nathan’s hand on Lawson’s shoulder, praising him for his hard work while the boy smiled bashfully in response. The laughter in his eyes when he twirled her during the Harvest Dance. She didn’t know what he’d done in the past, but he wasn’t the heartless killer Jeremiah had described. She was sure of that. As sure as she was that it was past time for her to get home.
She’d barely rested since she’d escaped. Yet even then, the hungry gnawing of her stomach refused to let her truly rest. Her feet ached, her legs were tired, and her mind was nearly numb from fatigue. Her every thought was directed toward home—to where her boots were hopefully carrying her.
She closed her eyes tightly and imagined herself there, surrounded by her family. She would make it home soon. She had to.
“The prints stop here.” Nathan tipped his hat back as he frowned at the ground.
“She must have jumped into the lake,” the deputy concluded.
Nathan’s eyes scanned the lake. “She tried to escape and by the looks of the other prints she was chased.”
“So did she escape only to be recaptured?” The deputy searched the woods around them with his gaze. “We’ll follow the horse prints and see if we pick up Kate’s.”
Both men remounted and followed the trail running counterclockwise around the lake. A little more than a quarter of the way Nathan pulled Delilah up short and let out a whoop, then dismounted. He was almost too busy to notice the deputy’s sharp halt and questioning look. Nathan pointed to the
tracks heading away from the lake. “She’s free. Look how the horse’s tracks continue that way and hers head off in that direction.”
Joshua dismounted before squatting for a closer look. “She stepped right on this print.” Looking up, he grinned. “You’re right. She is free, or was at this point.”
Nathan nodded soberly but could not deny a relieved smile. “We’ll need to follow the other tracks to be sure.”
After following the tracks around the lake, Nathan found they headed back off into the woods.
Deputy Stone reined in his horse. “Sorry I have to leave like this, Rutledge, but if I go now I might have a chance at finding this man.”
“Are you sure you want to take him without backup?”
Joshua shrugged nonchalantly. “I figure I can handle him about as well as you can handle Kate.”
“I reckon I’ll ignore that,” he said to the laughing man. Turning Delilah around, Nathan said, “You just worry about catching that outlaw and let me worry about Kate.”
Joshua snorted causing Nathan to roll his eyes before tipping his Stetson toward the man. “Nice riding with you, Deputy. Do me a favor and don’t get shot.”
“Same to you, Rutledge.” He tipped his Stetson. “On both counts.”
Kate stepped quietly from the cover of trees into the moonlit clearing before her. The loud song of a katydid drowned out the sound of her footsteps and covered her approach. With each step she took, she prayed the Lord would forgive her for what she was going to do.
Her steps slowed cautiously as she neared the campsite. In the dim light Kate could see the still form of the man who would unwittingly provide her first real meal in days. Her gaze scanned the campsite. There must be food somewhere.
Perhaps it was in his saddlebag? Her gaze faltered. He was sleeping on it. She continued her search from the shadows. There. On the other side of him, partially hidden by the shadows, was a small jar.
She moved out of the fire’s light and circled around toward the man. Kneeling in the dirt dangerously close to her sleeping benefactor she reached for the jar. Her fingers felt only the maddening brush of its cool glass. She scooted herself forward a little more then reached for it again.
Just as her fingers touched the jar a strong hand caught her wrist. She gasped, jerking her arm back and away. The hold on her wrist slipped for a split second allowing her to wrench free. Before she could pull away entirely a second hand clamped around it. Her free hand pushed at the ones that held her captive.
“Let go of me,” she demanded.
She heard the dark figure’s sharp intake of breath and immediately realized she’d made a mistake by speaking. Now he knew she was a woman. She braced her free hand behind her to pull with all her might. The grip on her wrist slackened enough for her to break free. The man called out but she scrambled to her feet.
Her worn boots crashed through the knee-high weeds as she ran toward the woods. Her heart galloped ahead of her as she realized the man was chasing her. Fear tangled her thoughts as the torn hem of her skirt tangled about her legs. Finally reaching the woods, Kate wound through the trees in a ragged fashion until she could no longer hear the running tread behind her.
She lifted a hand to brace herself against a nearby tree trunk. Her breath resounded heavily in the stillness of the woods around her. Her hand went to the stitch in her side and remained there as she turned to rest her back against the tree. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes against the swaying branches above her and focused on pulling air into her lungs.
Tears burned her eyes as she murmured a scattered prayer so soft that she couldn’t hear it over the sound of the gentle breeze. A twig snapped to her left. Her eyes flew open. She froze for a moment then whirled toward the sound.
Powerful arms came around her, catching her hands and pinning them behind her. She struggled to free herself but was forced backward until the tree’s rough bark scraped against her knuckles. She couldn’t move.
She opened her mouth to scream but the man covered it with his hand. “Hush, Kate. It’s me. It’s Nathan. I came to take you home.”
Chapter Seventeen
She froze. Slowly her eyes lifted to survey his shadowed features. Her breath caught in her throat. How could it possibly be him?
“Nathan?” she questioned in a whisper only realizing after she said it that he’d released her completely. It must be him. No one else would let her go so easily. A sob of relief hitched in her throat. Before she even thought to question the wisdom of it, she stepped into his embrace and let her cheek rest against his chest.
He placed a kiss in her hair then tilted her head back so that he could look at her in the dim light. “Did he hurt you?”
It took her a moment to realize who he was talking about. When she did, Jeremiah’s accusations flit clumsily through her mind like an annoying light bug hitting the lantern glass. She searched his face. Pure regard, concern and compassion stared back at her and her heart warmed under his gaze.
Jeremiah’s words faded away along with any lingering doubts as she faced the reality she’d been running from since the night she’d found Nathan outside with Delilah. She loved him. Her hand reached up to trace the angle of his jawline. He caught her hand and pressed a kiss into it. “Answer me, Kate. Did he hurt you?”
“What?” she breathed, then forced herself to focus on his question. “No, he didn’t hurt me.”
He paused. “You’re sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure. I think I’d know if—” Her words stumbled to a halt when he leaned down to kiss her. Their lips barely brushed before his muscles tensed beneath her fingers. He pulled away to stare into the forest around them.
Then she heard it. A rustling just above the breeze announced the presence of yet another stranger. The slow nearly muffled sound of hoofbeats confirmed it. Her fists clenched against the tension.
“Kate,” Nathan whispered tersely. “Promise me you’ll run if I tell you to.”
“But—”
“Promise me.”
She nodded. His hand crept down to his holster. A steely voice spoke from the surrounding forest. “Pardon me, but I couldn’t help but wonder if that woman you’ve captured is Kate O’Brien.”
Nathan spun to face the man with his guns at the ready just as the man stepped into the clearing ready to do battle. Everyone seemed to freeze for a moment then Kate stepped out from behind Nathan. “Deputy Stone.”
“So it is you, Kate.” The man grinned then waved his Stetson. “I was just making sure.”
Nathan holstered his gun. “I suppose this means you couldn’t find Jeremiah Fulton.”
“I tracked him as long as I could but he took the main road toward Bensen. I figured I’d have better luck getting their local law enforcement on the case than if I went off alone. What do you think?”
“It makes sense to me.” Nathan glanced back to her. “I’m sure Kate is tired. Why don’t we go back to camp and we can start home first thing in the morning.”
She nodded. “I admit I’m a little shaky and sleep sounds good but food sounds even better. I’ve lived on berries for the past few days.”
Nathan grinned. “That’s something we can fix.”
“Then what are you two standing there for?” she asked. “Lead me to it!”
Nathan lifted Kate from the saddle and carried her sleeping body to the bedroll. She moaned as he set her down and lifted her tired blue eyes to his. “Food.”
He lifted the blanket toward her chin. “In the morning.”
“Promise,” she murmured, her lashes drifting down.
“I promise.”
She turned on her side and went to sleep. Nathan let out a deep breath in relief. She was safe. He rubbed a hand across an unshaven chin then squaring his shoulders he moved back toward the camp.
“Is she all right?” Deputy Stone asked as he moved toward the fire with his bedroll in hand.
“As far as I can tell,” he said then glanced over to her sl
eeping form. He hated the fact that Jeremiah was still out there somewhere but the important thing was that Kate was safe. He planned to keep her that way for as long as she allowed him.
Nathan felt himself being watched. He glanced over to meet the deputy’s gaze. During the time they’d spent searching for Kate, they’d created the beginnings of a friendship. Nathan hadn’t had a friendship with a man his age in a while and the last ones obviously hadn’t turned out well.
The man grinned knowingly. “You’ve got it bad, Rutledge.”
“You think I don’t know that?” he asked with a wry smile. “Keep it down, will you? I haven’t told her yet.”
“Sure you have.” He smirked. “She just hasn’t noticed.”
The smell of coffee tantalized Kate’s senses. It pulled her slowly from her scattered dreams and made her aware of the insistent beams of sunlight that spilled across her eyelids. She sat up abruptly to stare through her knotted hair at the scene before her.
Nathan knelt near the outskirts of the campfire as he added wood to maintain the hungry flames. The deputy stood across the fire from him and stirred something in a small round bowl. A pan sat in wait on a log that had been rolled close to the fire. She didn’t know what was in that bowl but her stomach growled at the mere implication of food being made.
She pushed her hair away from her face, drawing the attention of the two men. They both wished her a good morning but it was Nathan’s smile that made her gaze linger upon his. He pulled the tin coffee kettle from the fire and poured her a cup. He knelt beside her to hand her the mug. “How do you feel this morning?”
“Better than I felt last night.” She took a small sip of the coffee and winced. “It’s rather strong.”
He smiled. “Good. You’ll need the energy.”
She turned to meet his gaze. “The children, are they—”
“They’re fine. They’ve been staying with Doc and Ms. Lettie.”
Unlawfully Wedded Bride (Love Inspired Historical) Page 17
