Mary

by Peggy McKenzie

Doc thought about it for a half a minute and then sent Hope a look of desperation. She picked up on his silent message immediately.

  “She’s gone back to the Utes, hasn’t she?” Hope offered.

  “Yes, it’s the one place she feels safe. Damn it, Liam.”

  “I’m sorry. I hadn’t intended for her to ever know I even had the idea. But that’s not important now. What’s important is finding her. She doesn’t have a horse, so she’s gotta still be in town. We just need to locate her.”

  “What about Jasper?” Doc asked.

  “Nope. I checked with Big Angus and the horse is munching grain in the barn as we speak.”

  “Then how could she leave town?” Hope turned her worried gaze on him.

  How could Mary leave town? She wouldn’t be brave enough to hitch a ride with a stranger and if Jasper was in the barn—. “She took my horse.” Doc was sure of it. “She took the bay from the livery stable. She’s comfortable on my bay and she knows where I keep him.”

  “I hope you’re wrong.” Liam said and opened the office door. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  “Hope . . .” He didn’t know what else to say, but as usual her mind reading skills were working perfectly.

  “I’ll lock up the office, Doc. Don’t worry. And I’ll let Aggie and Hiram know what’s happened.”

  “Will you ask Hiram if I can borrow Jasper one more time? I have a feeling I’m going to need a fast horse.”

  “Sure. I’ll make sure he’s saddled and ready to go when you get there.”

  He followed Liam out of the office and they hurried down the street toward the livery stable. Liam was worried and Doc could tell he felt bad about what had happened. “I’ll get my horse saddled and ride along with you.”

  “No, I’m going alone.”

  “But—”

  He stopped in the street and turned on his friend. “No buts. You may have started this with your stupid idea, and it certainly hasn’t helped that Mary overheard you and Hiram talking, but Mary is hurt because of me. Because of my actions. And it’s up to me to make her understand how I feel. But you need to understand, Liam, that ultimately the decision to stay or go is hers and I won’t try to influence her either way. The decision is hers. Do you understand me, Liam? I won’t try to persuade her either way. She must decide where she belongs.”

  “Yes, I understand and I’ll stop interfering. You go to the stables and I’m going home to tell Faith what an idiot she has for a husband. Then, I’m going to the Hanovers and try to explain to Aggie what a bone head I am.”

  “I’m pretty sure both Faith and Aggie know the truth about you.” Doc slapped his friend on the back and then turned toward the stables.

  “Thanks,” Liam said, his sarcasm not lost on Doc.

  He left Liam in the street and ran toward the livery stables. He pushed open the door and yelled out. “Levi? Are you in here? Levi?”

  The wiry man who used to work at the mercantile store rounded the corner of the feed bin. “Hey, Doc. What can I do for ya?”

  “Is my bay still here?”

  Levi frowned. “Well, no sir. Miss O’Brien came by about half an hour ago and said it was alright with you if she took him out for a ride. And since you and her had ridden out together yesterday, I thought it’d be alright. Did I mess up?” The little man looked worried.

  “No, Levi. You didn’t mess up. I just need to find Miss O’Brien. Do you have any idea which direction she rode?” he asked. Even though there was only one road out of Creede that led toward the mountains where her tribe of Utes had settled for the summer.

  “She went south. I seen her head out that way. But if you’re worrying about her riding out alone, you don’t have to be.”

  “Why would you say that? Was someone riding with her?”

  “Well, I guess you could say that.”

  “Levi, I don’t have time for riddles. Say what it is you’re trying to say. Out with it.” Doc’s sense of urgency was making him short-tempered.

  “Sorry, Doc. I didn’t mean to make you mad. When Miss O’Brien rode out of the livery stable, the Swindell brothers were riding by. They stopped her in the road, talked a bit, then they all rode out together.”

  His heart dropped to the bottom of his gut. “The Swindell brothers and Mary rode out of town together?”

  “That’s right, Doc.”

  “Thanks, Levi.” He ran out of the stables and down the street not daring to stop until he got to the Hanovers. Liam and Hiram were waiting with Big Angus who held the saddled Jasper.

  “Liam, get saddled, and—”

  “But you said for me to stay out of it.”

  “Listen to me! Get saddled and go get Sheriff Grayson.”

  “Why? What’s happened?” He could see Liam had seized on his urgency and was already in motion.

  “Levi just told me Mary took my bay as I suspected. But when she was leaving town, she had the bad luck to run into the Swindell brothers and Levi said they all rode out together.”

  “The Swindell brother?” Hiram noted. “I’ve represented them in court once or twice for bad behavior like drunkenness. But they’re usually harmless.”

  “They aren’t harmless. I don’t have time to go into the details, but trust me, where Mary is concerned, they aren’t harmless.”

  He could tell by the pale shade of Liam’s usually red complexion he understood the implications. “I’ll get my horse and find Miles. Wait for us—”

  “I can’t wait, Liam. I’m afraid there isn’t time. Hurry.”

  He sent up a silent prayer and mounted Jasper. Then he turned the big black gelding toward the road leading out of town and kicked him into a dead run. “Hold on, Mary. I’m not far behind.”

  Chapter 17

  Mary decided her life was a test in survival. What were the odds she would ride out of the stable and run headlong into the Swindell Brothers. They had asked her where she was going and if she needed some company. When she said she didn’t, the one named Travis held up his arm to show her the scar left by her knife blade. “My memory’s a little clearer now than it was the other day. You and me got some unfinished business to take care of, and Doc Howard ain’t nowhere around is he?”

  Mary had learned to hide in plain sight, so she tried to rein her horse down the main street hoping her appearance alone would garner some attention, but when the three men realized what she was doing, they surrounded her horse with theirs and guided her out of town. She tried to call out to a couple of men walking by, but she heard the click of a pistol hammer pull back and decided to keep quiet hoping for another opportunity to make a scene that would garner someone’s attention. But again, bad luck plagued her once again because they never passed another soul on their way out of town.

  Once the four of them were no longer within the possibility of being seen, Leroy grabbed her horse’s reins and Travis and the third brother tied her hands behind her back. “You owe me two dollars and I aim to claim it one way or another or somebody’s gonna die in the process.” he threatened.

  Mary was no stranger to fear. It had become a way of life for so long, it felt almost natural to fear for one’s life. It was that experience that kept her calm in the face of certain catastrophic danger. She might die today, but she wouldn’t go alone.

  The sun lowered in the western sky, and soon only it’s glow was visible behind the mountain peaks. It would be dark soon and her captors would be looking to make camp soon. It was then she would be in the most danger. She needed a plan while she was still mounted. It was the only chance she had to get out of this situation alive.

  Mary studied her surroundings. She was at home here and could disappear into the forest as easy as a ghost in the mist. What she couldn’t do was outrun a bullet and she hadn’t been able to go back to the Hanovers to get the one Hiram kept on his library desk. That had been a big mistake, but she’d been in a hurry to get out of town before someone learned of her plans and tried to stop her.

  “H
old up, boys. Let’s make camp before it gets any darker. We need to get off the road in case some yahoo comes by and wants to join us. We don’t need no company for what I got in mind.” He turned a lascivious grin in her direction. “Ain’t that right, little dolly?” He asked but it was clear he wasn’t expecting an answer.

  Instincts honed from eighteen years of surviving in the wild kicked in. She turned her head in every direction listening for clues to what resources were at her disposal. The river wasn’t far. She could hear the flowing water of the Rio Grande. During the spring, the river would be too deep and too fast to cross, but now it meandered through its banks on its journey south. If she went in that direction, she would have to run across the treeless wide openings to get to the river and then run through the ankle deep water. That would definitely slow her down and they would probably just shoot her in the back and leave her where she fell.

  Better to stay on the north side of the road, in the brush that separated the road from the thick pine forests. If she could get there, she had the best chance to disappear. That is where they should make camp.

  Mary was used to riding Indian ponies. They didn’t use saddles, but held tight with their legs and guided the ponies as much with their legs as with the rope reins. She began to put pressure on the bay horse’s left side with the heel of her boot praying he understood her message. He did.

  Soon, he was gradually drifting to the right and once he left the road, she gained her captors attention.

  “Hey, where you think you’re goin’?” Travis called out.

  “You said we would make camp and my horse is tired.” She offered.

  Leroy and Henry agreed. “Yeah, Travis. We’re tired too. Let’s make camp over there off the road.” They pointed to the perfect spot for Mary to disappear from. Perhaps not all of her luck was bad.

  “Alright, but keep an eye on her. I got plans for her later.” He sent her another look that left no room for misunderstanding. She knew what he wanted from her and she’d die before she let that happen…never again.

  Doc rode Jasper hard, but with Mary and the Swindell brother’s thirty minute head start, and their steady pace, it still took him almost an hour to catch up. When he caught sight of them just below the ridge on the road below, he pulled up Jasper and let him blow. If they spotted him and took off, he wanted to make sure Jasper had enough reserves to keep up with them.

  He watched from the tree line on the hill until they rode out of sight. Then he followed far enough behind they wouldn’t see him. Careful to keep to the edge of the forest, he stayed out of their line of sight.

  Liam and Miles were probably about another half hour behind, but the farther he followed Mary out of town, the harder it was going to be for them to catch up and he didn’t want to make a move until he had reinforcements.

  The four riders stayed on the hard packed dirt fading in and out of the trees that lined the road. His mind a flurry of activity trying to come up with a plan to save Mary when he noticed them leaving the road. What were they doing?

  Careful to keep them within sight, he watched Mary’s calm demeanor. She was unbelievably brave, but he also knew she had to be scared to. He had to figure out how to save her from those three idiots without getting her, or himself, killed. The problem was he could see they had tied Mary’s hands behind her back. That was going to make it difficult for Mary to run if he did somehow get her away from them. And, she wouldn’t be able to run on foot or control her horse.

  He guided Jasper off the road and then dismounted and led the big horse through the forest until he found a spot overlooking the campsite so he could keep an eye on what was going on. He tied Jasper to a tree about a hundred yards away and hoped the horse didn’t catch wind of the other horses below and whinny out a greeting. He pulled the rifle Big Angus had attached to the saddle out of its sheath then crept through the forest to find a comfortable spot to wait. In about twenty minutes, he would head back to the road and wait for Miles and Liam to arrive, but until then, he would keep Mary in sight.

  Doc sat amidst the aspen and pine trees on the forest’s soft floor and watched the remarkable woman down below. Leroy helped her off her horse and sat her down in the open spot off the road where he assumed they were planning to make camp. Good. That means Miles and Liam would not have to ride to far to catch up with them. Now, he just hoped they wouldn’t do something stupid until they could get here. It didn’t take Doc long to realize the Swindell brothers didn’t have a lick of sense. Stupid was all they knew.

  Chapter 18

  Mary sat on her horse weighing her options when Leroy pulled her off and pushed her to the ground. She fell back onto the rocky surface and felt the sting of the pokes and scrapes of the sharp rocks, but she remained silent. Watching. Waiting.

  She kept her eye on Travis. He seemed to be the one she needed to worry about most. He had disappeared into the brush, probably to relieve himself. Leroy and Henry were busy securing the horses and gathering firewood. She needed a plan.

  Ten minutes passed before Travis returned. The look he gave her made it clear what he had in mind. She wiggled her toes and felt her knife in the shaft of her boot. The problem was, if he didn’t untie her hands, she couldn’t reach the knife and that was a big problem. The sudden urge of nature provided her with a plan.

  “Um, I need to go too.” She directed her comment to Leroy. He seemed to be a little slower to pick up on things than Travis.

  Leroy looked at Travis for permission. “Keep an eye on her.” Was all the older brother said.

  “Let’s go,” The younger brother said and grabbed her by the elbow and helped her to her feet. They headed to the same spot Travis emerged from and she made a big show of falling and stumbling to give the illusion she wouldn’t be able to run very far in the thick brush and stay on her feet.

  They had gone about a hundred yards whenLeroy jerked her to a stop. “Here. This is far enough.”

  She looked at him and held out her bound wrists. “I can’t manage this with my hands tied.” She shrugged as if she was at a loss how to fix the problem.

  A heavy sigh from Leroy made her heart jump with exhilaration. He was going to untie her and that’s the break she needed. “You better not try to run away. Travis ain’t very nice when he gets mad.”

  “Where would I go?” She shrugged and look around.

  “Right. Just do your business and let’s get back. I’m hungry.” Leroy stood watching her.

  “Turn around.”

  “Why? Somebody like you can’t be bashful.”

  She didn’t answer, instead she stood and stared at him until finally he gave in. “Alright, but hurry. Like I said I’m hungry—”

  She waited until Leroy turned his back and then quickly pulled her knife from her boot. She took a step backwards, and then another, away from Leroy, knife at the ready. But before she could take one more, he turned around. “What’s taking you so—” His eyes grew round at the sight of her knife poised. “What the—” He reached for his pistol, but it never cleared the holster and he fell dead without a sound, her knife imbedded in his heart.

  “Leroy? Travis said hurry up. He’s got plans for that little dolly and he said I could have a go at her after he was done.”

  She heard Henry stomping through the brushes coming toward her. Now was her chance. She rushed to Leroy’s body and grabbed her knife. She turned to run, but he was closer than she’d predicted. She wanted to run, but she knew she couldn’t outrun Henry’s bullet, so she froze and waited for her opportunity to get the upper hand.

  Seconds later, Henry clear the brush and knew the minute he spotted his brother on the ground. “What the hell? Leroy?” He bent down and shook his brother’s body. “Leroy?” The realization that his brother was dead, came soon after and he screamed for older brother. “Travis! Come quick! That whore has killed Leroy! Travis!”

  She had to act quick and with a flick of her wrist, she sent her blade into Henry’s chest. His eyes rounded i
n shock and the spark of life faded before he hit the ground.

  “Henry? Where are you?” She heard Travis’s voice calling to his brother. Now was her chance to run. She could disappear into the woods, but Travis would be tracking her and without a horse, she could be running from him for days, and she doubted he would stop looking for her until he’d hunted her down and killed her because she’d just killed his two brothers.

  The sound of his path through the forest was easy to hear. He was charging through the brush like a charging bull moose. She knew he would kill her if he caught her, so she would just have to make certain he did not catch her.

  She weighed the distance from Travis’ location to the campsite and the horses. He was running straight toward her so she would go east and come around the backside of the camp. Then she would grab Doc’s bay and ride back to town. But first, she had to reach the camp.

  Halfway to the campsite, she heard Travis scream. He’d found the bodies of his brothers. Now, it would be a race to the horses. She threw caution to the wind and ran through the forest as fast as she could. Twice she stopped to listen for Travis’ footsteps, but the forest remained silent. Not knowing where he was made her very nervous.

  She heard a horse whinny and knew she was close. There. Just through the clearing of aspens she saw the horses. Her heart raced and pumped adrenalin into her veins. Just a few more yards and she’d be horseback and on her way back to town where she would find help.

  Mary crouched and listened at the edge of the forest watching and waiting for signs of Travis. Everything was quiet. Where had he gone? Perhaps he was so devastated by his brothers’ deaths, he was overcome with grief and hadn’t recovered enough to want revenge. But he would come. She knew that with certainty.

  She waited another minute and then she crept around the edge of the forest to get as close to her horse as possible and still stay hidden. Crawling on her hands and knees, she kept her knife at the ready and finally reached the trees where the horses were tied. Another quick look around, she sprinted to the bay and cut the reins from the tree instead of wasting time untying them. One foot in the stirrup, she tasted freedom, but it was short lived when a hand grabbed her by the hair and jerked her to the ground. Standing over her was a very angry Travis Swindell.